


Solitary Narcissus

by GoldenAngelFeather



Category: SHINee, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ancient China, Crossover, F/M, Historical, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Strong Female Characters, Time - Freeform, Time Travel, Transmigration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:02:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22720414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenAngelFeather/pseuds/GoldenAngelFeather
Summary: Being the daughter from strong parents and even stronger grandparents, Jia grew up to be a capable young woman. Being the campus flower she was envied by many for her beauty and yet this flower was dangerous as well.When she was three, Jia hit a bully so hard that he had to recuperate in the hospital. At ten years old she couldn't even count how many times she was called to the director's office.  Jia spend her teenage years with blood, sweat and definitely with tears, worrying her parents.Fighting? That's her talent! Taking care of bullies? That's her duty! Making the streets unsafe for criminals? Why not?!And yet... who would have expected her to suddenly lose her consiousness after a conflict and end up waking somwhere completely different!Isn't transmigration something for drama and movies? Why did it become her reality?!And just who is this arrogant and prideful long haired guy that keeps looking at her with those eyes that can make the universe disappear?!
Relationships: Kim Seokjin | Jin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 23
Collections: Reincarnation and Transmigration





	1. Thousand River Country

**Author's Note:**

> "So you are the bride." - Taehyung  
"What nonsense are you talking about?! This must be a hidden camera prank!" - Jia  
"I do not know what you are talking about but you should start undressing me... Or will you keep staring at my face?" - Jin   
"Wait...What?! Do-don't take of your robes!" - Jia  
"You are now my wife, your task is to serve your husband..." - ... ? 
> 
> -
> 
> This is a transmigration story where a young woman called Jia is pulled into, entering another person's body. Being thrown in a world that looked like it came straight out from a historical period drama, all she wants to do is get back to her own world.
> 
> Yet she not only got married and got a free husband out of nowhere, Jia needs to try and survive all those pranks and murder attempts on her, all because she suddenly became the wife of the city's most handsome young man... And maybe other hidden motives!
> 
> -
> 
> This story is inspired by many chinese novels that I'm reading and I just love the transmigration genre.  
For those who don't know what this is: transmigration is basically that your soul is being transported to another body and you'll have to live using that new body.
> 
> Please don't commit plagiarize and any similarities is pure coincidence!  
Subscribe, don't be silent readers and comment! ^^

The wind was strong, fleeing through the tiny gaps of Jia's dark hair as she stood there in the parc. A pair of beautiful yet dangerous eyes glared at the people in front of her, her pink lips pursed together in a uncontented pout.

"Aren't you even embarassed to fight with five people?" Jia asked, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head lightly, disapproving of such unfair situations.  
In front of the young woman stood five men, a blond haired one standing in the front, giving her a perverted smirk.

"Why should we be embarassed? You're the one that's putting yourself in trouble." the blond guy laughed, his eyes filled with lust scanning Jia's body like she was a piece of meat.  
Goosebumps appeared on the beautiful woman's arms, a shudder going down her spine. Yet when she looked to the side and finding an unconscious woman laying on the cold ground, the anger inside her boiled up again.

"Quite daring! Attacking a weak woman with five men!" Jia hissed, forcing her eyes away from the fainted woman whose clothes had been shredded like she was attacked by wild wolves.

"You disrupted us when we were about to have the time of our life but it's okay. You can join the fun. Isn't it more fun if we can make a feisty kitten like you obey us like the little slut you are." the blond haired man laughed loudly, not caring about his loud voice. After all, they were somewhere pretty desolated in the city.

_'Should I just break a leg or two?!'_

"You should keep your filthy paws away from me!" Jia growled before she moved her body, dashing towards the group of hungry wolves.

The young woman moved her body like she was dancing, her flexible waist giving her the advantage to avoid many attempted attacks on her. Even though Jia's body moved like flowing water, her fists were as strong as being hit by a metal stick, hitting them where it hurt them till they fell on the ground crying in pain.

"H-How dare you!"

"No, how dare you!" Jia roared back, giving the man another kick, finally resting one leg on his chest after stomping out the air from his lungs. "You're messing with the wrong person. I have a family full gang members, you don't play around with someone like me." Jia shrugged her shoulders as she spoke those words slowly yet fiercly.

After kicking the body under her away, Jia placed the fainted woman on her back and walked away like nothing happend, leaving behind a pile of utterly beaten bodies that were groaning in pain.

"Where were you today?" Jinki grumbled as he looked up from a book he was reading, tired from waiting for his grandniece.

Jia smiled at the man sitting in his couch, obviously grumpy because she was late for their cooking date.

"Grand uncle! I'm sorry, got in some trouble." Jia grinned, skipping towards him and dropping herself on the couch right next to him. Jinki couldn't help but chuckle at how cute Jia acted whenever she wanted to get back on his good side. Patting her head gently, Jinki closed the book he was reading only a moment ago and placed it away as he looked at the young woman next to him.

"I hope you didn't create enough trouble to get you put behind the bars?"

Jia's smile faltered but she quickly shook her head.

"They deserve to be put in jail, grand uncle!"

"Stop calling me that, it makes me feel too old." Jinki sighed, one hand combing through his dark hair, not even one strand of white or grey hair to find.

"Should I call you by your name then?" Jia pouted, taking the cooking book on the salon table to look through it as she waited for Jinki's answer.  
The man, who was somewhere in his sixties, didn't respond like Jia thought he would. As she turned her head to look at him, Jinki looked back at her, a smile playing on his lips.

"If you suggest that again I might intensify your training." Jinki said casually yet those soft words were like needles piercing into Jia's body, the young woman quickly shaking her head as she shoved the cooking book into her grand uncle's hands.

"Now that you're here, have you decided what to cook for your grandparents?" 

"It's their wedding anniversary, it should be something special." Jia spoke with glittering eyes.

"We can bake a three layered cake." Jinki suggested, Jia quickly nodding her head.

"How about three different tastes? There has to be chocolate since grandmother loves chocolate." Jia beamed, imagining just what kind of cake it would turn out to be. "And grandfather likes eating meat, so the main dish can be a steak!" 

Taemin looked at his second granddaughter and smiled happily, giving her a tight hug as he had already eaten his stomach full. Because he and his wife, Misun, celebrated their wedding anniversary, their house was almost exploding from the amount of people that were there to share the happiness. Not only where their closest friends attending, but also their own children and their friends. Being blessed with having four grandchildren, they participated it the already chaotic celebration.

"That's not fair! Jia is good in cooking, but I'm not." Jia's younger sister complained, finding it unfair that Jia was the one who inherited the amazing cooking skills of their grandmother.

"But you drew a beautiful painting for us." Misun smiled as she patted on the middle schooler's head. "Because our Lena is really good in arts."

Jia glanced at the beautiful landscape painting before giving her younger sister a quick nod. 

"Your gift is also good." Jia smiled and looked at everyone chatting to each other. "I'll go some ice creams for everyone. I'll be right back!" Jia announced, grabbed a light jacket and left the house behind to find the closest convenience store in the neighborhood.

The sky was already getting darker but Jia hummed happily as she walked through the streets she knew like it was her backyard. Suddenly she was pushed to the ground before being pined down by a masked man.

"What the hell! What are you doing?!" Jia hissed, kneeing in the stranger's stomach and getting the man off of her body. She quickly pushed herself back up with the help of her hands and glared at the masked man.  
It was then that she remembered seeing in the news that there had been a pervert wakling around, harrassing girls and women. Her eyebrows knitted together in an angry frown as she looked at the man with suspicious eyes. He was well built so Jia knew she couldn't underestimate the person in front of her.

"Stay quiet! Or you'll regret it!" the man threatened, taking big steps to get closer to the young woman, but Jia quickly took a few steps back to create more space between them.

"Stay put." the man growled low, moving his arms to pull Jia near him but Jia's quick reflexes made her slap his hands away.

The masked man anrrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath before running towards Jia and grabbing her painfully by the shoulders, trying his best to push her against the wall of a building. Jia pursed her lips together and pried off the hands that were trying to undress her, quickly kicking him in his groin. A pained scream escaped the offender but he grew only furious, grabbing Jia's hair and pulling her which made the fist she was about to give him lose its strength.

_'Aaah... I shouldn't have drunk so many wine, then I wouldn't be so clumsy like this.'_ Jia complained and scolded to herself, regretting that she drank so much alcohol at the party. 

She wasn't drunk yet the wine made her less sharp than she usual would be. This not only resulted in her being tossed around by the pervert but also getting punched in the stomach. Jia's pained expression gave the man great pleasure, planning to hit her again so that he could use her while she would be obedient but he never thoughts that the young woman he was holding turned her body swiftly which made him lose the grip on her clothes.

_'This man is stronger than I thought!'_

"Annoying woman." the man said unsatisfied and grabbed Jia's shoulders again, holding her so tightly that her shoulders were so pained like they were getting fractured. 

Jia tried to kick the man and get herself out of his grip yet the man never gave up and kept pulling and pushing on her body dizzying and hurting her with his punches and hits. With all that moving the man had to use all his strength but he wasn't planning to let Jia go. Without knowing himself, he tossed the young woman to the wall, her head hitting strongly against the concrete.

Jia widened her eyes before everything started to turn, darkness consuming her. With a thud the young woman fell on the ground, silence once returning to the streets.

_'Aaah, my head hurts so much...!'_

-

"This girl actually fainted." Jia could vaguely hear people talk.

"Faking it!"

Forcing her eyes open, she saw everything blurry. It was only after blinking a few times and adjusting to the lighted room did she notice that she was laying on the carpeted floor of a big room.

_'Where is this?'_

"This girl has woken up!"

Jia tried to sit up, her hands holding her head because she felt like she had been struck by a racing car. When she looked around, the young woman found that in the room stood three other people, two girls and a woman around her thirties.

"You think that by fainting you can escape the wedding?!" the woman asked in a loud voice, showing her anger on her face.

"Mother, this wench hasn't learned her lesson. Being hit like this she's still feigning to faint to try and escape her fate." the oldest girl said while shaking her head lightly.

_'Why...are they wearing these kind of outfits? Am I on a historical drama set?'_

"Where am I...?" Jia muttered, the headache getting slightly better yet her body felt like it was wearing an iron armor, so heavy! When she looked at her body she discovered that she was wearing strange clothes, she could even see her own hair!

_'I don't have such long hair!'_ Jia panicked glancing around but she abruptly stopped when a slap hit her right cheek. The burning sensation tingled through her face yet she didn't scream, she only lifted her face and glared intently at the woman who had slapped her.

"Don't you even try to think of many excuses to not get married. I'm telling you, even if you'er crippled you'll have to leave this place and get on the wedding sedan!" the woman's shrill voice made Jia frown.

"Who's getting married?!" Jia hissed but she earned another slap, on the other cheek which made her entire face red and even slightly swollen.

"Mother, you're wasting your energy on her. You should just lock her up in her room and force her to get on the sedan chair the day after tomorrow. Otherwise it is only mother that will be tired." the youngest of the three said, those pair of brown orbs filled with digust and annoyance yet her voice was soft and gentle.

"Come, drag this ungrateful thing back to her room and lock her up. Don't give her anything to eat or drink for today!" the woman ordered, two maids appearing out of nowhere and planning to drag Jia away. Being alarmed, Jia flicked her long sleeves, swinging her arms which made the two maids stumble and lose their balance. After being thrown to the ground, the two maids looked at the madam with confused expressions.

"Can't you two even do your job right?" the madam growled angry before glancing at two man servants.

The two sturdy young men understood the eyes of the madam and went to Jia to grab her arms tightly, forcing ehr to wak with them. Though Jia struggled, her body wasn't listening which ended up her being dragged away.

"Let me go." Jia protested, flailing her body like a child throwing a tantrum yet one of the manservants pushed her inside a room and quickly closed the doors behind her. A click of the lock told Jia that she truely was locked inside a room.

With a loud huff, Jia looked away from the locked doors and observed the room.

"Am I... being pranked? A hidden camera?" No matter how much Jia blinked and rubbed her eyes, she still stood in a room that looked like it existed many hundred of even thousands years ago.

"Could this be a dream?" Jia wondered as she started to walk around, finding a tall mirror. When she saw her own reflection, she couldn't help but widen her eyes. In the mirror stood a teenager with long black locks, half of her hair pulled into buns and held together by two simple hairpins. Raising one hand, she touched one hairpin.

"Why do I look like I'm back in high school...? And what's with this dress-up and hair?" Jia tried to think of anything rational yet there wasn't any answer.

"It can't be that I... transmigrated, right?" Jia asked herself, an awkward laugh escaping her as she touched the face of the girl.

"This body isn't mine." Jia frowned as she moved around, her flexibily she had before having disappeared.

_'I shouldn't panic... Keep calm Lee Jia!'_

"We were celebrating grandfather and grandmother's wedding anniversary... Went out to buy ice cream..." Jia tried to recall the last memories she possessed, her face getting ugly. "Then some crazy pervert appeared...But I don't remember anything after that. What did that guy to me?" 

Because the young woman had been locked inside her room, she could overthink things many times, recalling what happened to her, placing out a variety of theories yet the only conclusion she reached was that she was hit so much, that her soul got forced out and somehow transmigrated into this place and body.

"She looks like a younger version of me, yet different." Jia muttered, staring at her reflection. Because of the way she was dressed and how her hair was styled, she looks so differently from her usual casual clothes and her leather jackets.  
Trying to accept whatever happend, her stomach growled loudly, demanding attention from its owner.

"Hungry." Jia pouted, patting her belly gently before letting her body fall on the bed, her eyes staring at the wooden ceiling.

_'Those people in that room where I woke up, their eyes were filled with hate and disgust when they looked at me...Family members?'_

Jia ignored her stomach's calling and closed her eyes. Sleeping would be bette than suffering the hunger signals. And who knows... Maybe she would wake up in her own bed.

"That's my breakfast?" Jia asked with a raised eyebrow, her eyes glued on the small bowl of rice porridge. The maid who had placed the bowl of porridge nodded her head, her eyes looking arrogantly at Jia.

"You should be thankful that you even get some food today. Don't eat too fast or you won't have anything for later." she said, ticking off Jia's patience.

"And who are you again?"

"I'm the madam's maid." the young servant huffed, looked down on Jia before leaving the room again.

"Just a maid and so arrogant." Jia laughed in disbelief, taking a glance at the white rice porridge, looking terrible, it didn't even look the slightest bit appetizing.

_'Should I just break out and run away?'_

_'No... I can't... Where can I go? I don't know anyone, don't know this place. What if I get killed in this place!' _

"Maybe I should just go with the flow and when I understand how things are, then plan my escape. Not to say, I suddenly appeared in this place, there must be a reason! I need to find a way back before I can do what I want."

"At least there are a few books in this shabby room." Jia sighed, already stuck for two days in the lonely room. 

Tomorrow would be the day she's going to marry someone she didn't know. No one told her who she was marrying either which made Jia hope that it at least couldn't be a guy twice her age! So for staying in the room with no one to talk to, she could only flip through the books available, giving her information to understand a bit about the place she stranded in.

According to the books, she was in Thousand River Country, a big country that had ties with different other countries. It was a empire so this told her that there was a palace filled with an emperor, an empress and many royalties.

"What is this? It's like ancient China or something." Jia puffed her cheeks and stared at the book before jumping up.

She didn't simply read and sit in her room, no, Jia had been training this new body. Though it wasn't as flexible as her past body, it wasn't that stiff either. Taking advantage of the time she was given, she had been doing simple excercises to train her muscles and stretch her limbs so that they could move around in more angles than just a straight line.

Jia raised her right leg and placed it against a wall, moving a few centimeters up till she felt pain and rejusted her body to streth those muscles.

"Need to get used to this body if I want to survive in this world."

Stretching one leg for ten minutes, she casually switched it to the other one while moved her upper body as well. Since she was young, she had been training with her family's friends. Not everyone did it, her older cousine for example prefered to just study, exactly like Jia's uncle.

Jia hummed happily as she retreated her second stretched leg and started doing jumping jacks. Just as she finished she heard someone unlocking the doors, her eyes flying towards the wooden entrance and seeing the same woman that slapped her twice! Wearing a dark red dress, embroidered with silver threaded flowers and beads, the woman's haughty manner lade Jia scoff inwardly.

"Have you been reflecting on your wrongdoings these two days?" the madam asked with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know what I even did wrong for you to slap me two times and lock me up with the purpose of starving me." Jia spoke flatly, surprising the madam.

The Jia she knew wouldn't speak back like this.

"You are turning and changing my teachings to you, Tang Jia." the madam frowned.

"Tang Jia...? So the name is the same but the surname is different? Tang Jia..."

"I am making you realize about your wrongdoings and make you reflect on them so that you can change and better yourself. It is outrageous when you tried to run away from your duty to get married." the madam spoke, her voice softer than the other day but her eyes still sinister as ever.

_'What is this woman talking about? Who punishes their kid like this!'_

"Fleeing because you don't want to get married is a terrible thing to do, Jia." the madam smiled lightly yet Jia could see the mocking expression on her face. "I know, you're not happy that you got betrothed to the third prince but a marriage is a matter being decided by the elders. It is not something a younger generation like you can change."

_'Shouldn't it be the opposite? It's not like the parents are living with the in-law... Stupid.'_

Jia was getting tired of listening to the woman and her flaunting her power in this manor.

_'The third prince...? Why would the original owner try to run away? Did she love someone else? Is the third prince a monster?'_

The well dressed woman noticed that Jia wasn't giving any reaction, neither was she trying to convince her to change the wedding plans. She couldn't help but feel weird with how things turned out. This madam was expecting the girl to cry and beg on her knees after all, this isn't fun, it's boring!

"I would be upset too if I was once engaged to the fourth prince. But it was his highness that asked the emperor to cut off this engagement with you since he fell in love with your younger sister." the madam continued to speak, after all she couldn't just stand still.

This woman wanted to rub salt in Jia's wounds because she knew that this girl loved the fourth prince and couldn't handle the change in wedding affairs. Yet she didn't know that this Jia wasn't the one she knew and had seen growing up. No, this was the modern Jia, a completely different person.

"The two love each other dearly, you shouldn't mingle in their relationship and just get married to the third prince first. You're the oldest after all, you need to get married off first."

_'Which girl is it that's a couple with this fourth prince? Which one of the two? How come this prince is better than the third one? And why does is sound like one of the two girls snatched the fourth prince away from the original owner of this body?'_


	2. Red Robes

"Don't try to run away from this marriage, Jia." the madam spoke, looking with arrogance at the youngster. Jia frowned and looked at the woman standing in front of her.

"I am not trying to run away. If I was planning to flee, then I would have long kicked these doors to get away." Jia scoffed, shocking the woman once again. "Are you trying to say something to me, but don't dare to do it directly?" 

The second madam's face flushed red in anger and embarassment. When did this girl dare to talk back against her or even offend her?! Always had Tang Jia been a scared rabbit driven in a corner, too scared to complain, too scared to fight back. She could only obediently be bullied by people. Yet now she is actually looking directly into her eyes, clear and strong, not in the slightest was her slender body quivering.

"Don't fake that you're strong." the woman said after clearing her throat and was planning to leave the shabby place when Jia stopped her.

_'It can't be that this girl didn't had a personal maid, right?'_

"Where is my maid?" Jia tried, waiting patiently for the second madam to answer her.

"You're already in this state and you're still worried for a servant?" she scoffed.

_'There is indeed a personal maid!' _Jia thought, her eyes flashing but the second madam didn't notice that. She didn't bother to care about this first miss because she was that only in name after all.

"If you bring her back, I'll get on the wedding sedan without troubling everyone. If you don't, I'll just smash everything I see in my eyesight. I think the decorations used in this manor aren't cheap?" Jia threatened, her eyes glaring at the luxurious jewelries the second madam was wearing.

The woman narrowed her eyes before she scoffed.

"You don't have to even try to threaten me, Tang Jia! I'm in no need for an useless maid." she huffed and turned around to walk away. After a while, her doors opened again, a frail body being pushed inside the room which made her trip her own feet and fall on the ground with a loud thud.

"Young miss... Young miss!" she tried to call, her voice hinted with pain and uncomfortableness.

"You are...?" Jia looked at the young maid, definitely still a teenager around fifteen years old. The maid knitted her eyebrows in worry and crawled towards Jia because she was lacking the strength to walk properly. But even if it hurt, she bowed her head lightly to show her respects.

"Young miss, it's me, Taeha." the young maid told Jia her name, yet Jia couldn't recall anything because she was a different person after all. Giving a nod, Jia helped Taeha stand up, noticing that Taeha winced.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, young miss." Taeha forced the tears in her eyes away and tried to smile. Jia frowned, waiting for an answer that wasn't a flat out lie. Taeha felt intimidated by the stare she got and bowed her head slightly.

"The madam was angry because young miss tried to run away from her marriage and punished this servant for not taking good care of young miss." Taeha said with a trembling voice. Jia knew the girl was telling the truth, giving a small hum.

"Young miss...? Are you alright? Why are you so different today? Did they hurt young miss? Have they tortured you?!" the young maid asked in a panic frenzy, showing Lee Jia that this body must have sufferend more than only slaps in the past.

_'I can trust this girl, right? Since she's Tang Jia's personal maid. Her eyes are clear too.'_

"I've hit my head and I don't remember much." Jia spoke, the young maid gasping in shock and fear.

"Young miss! You don't know who you are anymore?" 

"I only know my name... Taeha, tell me everything you know." Jia smiled, helping the maid sit down on a wooden stool. The poor maid didn't know what was happening. She was scared and worried because losing memories isn't something good to happen after all. 

"What does young miss want to know? I...don't know where to start explaining." 

_'This girl is smart, efficient!'_

"I only know my name so who am I really?" Jia asked, ignoring the hunger calls from her stomach.

"Young miss is the first miss of the Tang family." Taeha started and though she was hesitant she didn't fail to tell Jia the things she needed to know. "Young miss is born from the old master's first official wife. The first madam unfortunately passed away soon after childbirth."

_'Did she have complications during pregnancy?'_

"After the first madam had passed away, the second madam took over. She has two daughters, the second miss and third miss." 

Jia hummed as she listened intently at the information given to her.

"What does my father do as job?" 

Taeha raised her eyebrows in surprise but she quickly hid away her confused expressions and continued to explain.

"The old master is the vice prime minister."

"So the woman who has locked me inside my room is his second wife?" Taeha nodded her head lightly.

"A year after first madam's death, the old master made his most beloved concubine the second wife."

_'That arrogant woman was actually a concubine?!'_

"Why am I being treated like this?" Jia frowned as she asked. It was a question she was very curious about. What did she do to deserve slaps, hunger and hateful glares?! Taeha bit her lips, but she knew that she couldn't hold back any information, it wouldn't benefit her anyways.

"The old master and young miss' mother had an arranged marriage but they didn't love each other. Only months after she became the first madam, the old master brought in the second madam, back then a concubine. She has been seducing him for many years and it resulted in young miss being neglected."

Jia frowned heavily at this.

"The old master is busy with state affairs and at home he spoiled the second madam. After first madam passed away and she became the one in charge of the family and manor, everything worsened. Young miss had been cast away to a remoted place in the manor with a nanny, this servant's mother. We tried to take care of young miss but both the second madam as the second and third miss likes to bully young miss to vent out their frustrations."

_'They're obviously looking down on Tang Jia! Horrible, just horrible!'_

"Where is your mother?" Jia asked but Taeha's eyes turned sad.

"Mother has passed away."

"Why?" Jia asked suspiciously. Something didn't feel quite right to her. Taeha blinked multiple times to try and push away those tears threatening to come out.

"One time when young miss was younger accidentally strolled out of this courtyard. The other misses were playing and they bumped against each other. The second miss lost a hairpin that was later found in young miss' room. They said that young miss stole it and even pushed second miss to the ground! But it wasn't like that at all..." Taeha said, finally tears rolling down her pale cheeks. 

Jia felt a guilt washing over her even though she wasn't the person walking around.

"Because we had to protect young miss who had been punished to kneel for hours in the rain, mother lied about her stealing the hairpin. The second madam threw her into jail and presented her with white silk."

_'White silk...? Telling her to hang herself up and commit suicide?!'_

Jia was boiling in anger. Just what kind of people were living in this manor?!

"I'm so sorry." Jia muttered, wiping Taeha's tears away with her sleeves. The young maid, surprised by this gesture, looked at the young miss with big eyes. Taeha couldn't help but think over and over again that after losing her memories, she had changed, her personality changed! Her mistress used to be very depressive, soft and kind yet the person in front of her was like a proud fire getting stronger and stronger. The glimmer in her eyes were different, not only the personality!

"Young miss doesn't have to apologize to me, it's our duty to serve and protect young miss."

Jia smiled lightly and patted the young maid gently.

"So what's this all about marriage and wedding? Who am I marrying?" Jia asked question after question, her curiosity about her future husband rising.

In her own world, Jia did had some followers trying to win her heart even though she wasn't the easiest person out there. But never did she date someone, it wasn't necessary for her because she liked to finish university as fast as possible. Not to say that many people looked for trouble with her.

"Young miss will be marrying his highness the third prince tomorrow, prince Jin." Taeha spoke, a shiver going down her spine as she spoke out that prince's name. 

"That concubine said that I used to be engaged to someone else?" 

Taeha nodded her head and swallowed her saliva, trying to stop the trembling in her hands.

"Before the betrothal to the third prince happend, young miss was engaged to the fourth prince, his highness prince Taehyung. Suddenly his highness broke off the engagement and made second miss Yein his fiancee." the young maid spoke.

_'Yein...? That would be one of those two girls, right? Yein stole Tang Jia's man?'_

"Is there a difference?" Jia asked carelessly, letting her chin fall on her two hands that were being supported by her elbows on the table.

Taeha nodded her head, licked her lips and started to explain again.

"The fourth prince is a popular prince. His highness has a high possibilty to become the crown prince and become the next emperor of the Country of Rivers. His highness is not only good looking but is also a friendly person. But the third prince is a general that had been casted away to wars and such. His highness the third prince is known to be cold blooded, easy to kill people. Because his hands are dyed in blood from people, he's called a monster by many." 

Jia raised an eyebrows as she listened to the new information. Scratching her head slightly, she sighed softly.

"In other words, I had a chance to become the empress but now I'm going to be the wife of some freak?"

Taeha widened her eyes and quickly shook her head.

"Please don't say such things out loud, young miss. Especially not in front of the third prince!"

The young woman nodded her head before continuing to ask questions to her personal maid, trying to get enough information to let her survive in this new world. Crying over transmigrating to a place where she knew no one wasn't an option for her. Even the initial shock had already subdued, her survival instinct overpowering those scary thoughts.

"You look presentable." the second madam spoke as she looked at the girl in red.

Jia was wearing her wedding dress, a red colored dress made out of silk. Even though she was being bullied in her family, her wedding dress couldn't be saved. She was marrying a prince after all, the Tang family couldn't lose face for such a thing. Jia scoffed, not even bothering herself to look at the second madam. That woman noticed, growing annoyed.

"Your dowry has been placed in the carriage already. The Tang family is gifting you three dowry maids as well. They'll be serving you very well when you're in the third prince's estate."

Jia hummed, looking at her own reflection. She must say that even though her face looked pale and weak from hunger and lack of sleep, she still looked pretty good. The red was making her complexion come out even paler than normal but it gave off a cold beauty feeling.

"Young miss." Taeha spoke softly, taking the scarlet veil, placing it over Jia's head so that her face was hidden.

Jia stood up elegantly and walked towards the doors before stopping and turning her head to look at the second madam. 

"I said I wouldn't create trouble before getting on the wedding sedan. But shouldn't you gift me something as a wedding gift? We'll be finally parting after all. Your tool to vent your frustrations out on is going to be part of another family now." 

"What nonsense are you sprouting?!" the woman hissed. "You have a dowry and even got three dowry maids. What more are you expecting?"

"Oooh, you really have nothing? Should I then just create trouble on the way to the prince's estate?" Jia asked. The red veil was covering her face but the second madam could feel the cold glare through the fabric directed at her.

Taeha bit her lips, scared for something happening and a bit happy that her young miss had become stronger, even in her use of words.

"Don't you dare, Tang Jia." the second madam growled, raising her hands to ready herself and slap the girl but Jia scoffed.

"Stop. If you slap me now, my face will be swollen. What is the prince going to think if he saw me like that? He'll know about your abuse and get very angry. I heard he's called a monster...? Will he kill his parents-in-law? What do you think?" Jia asked, a soft chuckle escaping her.

Jia had no mercy for this concubine. The young woman had been starving for three days, even a bath was too much to ask so she couldn't help but use her limited drinking water to freshen herself up a bit. Not only that, she loved to flaunt her arrogance and even her two daughters came to laugh at her this morning.

"You damn wench! You're lucky that you can even get married! Being someone who already lost her past fiancee, who would even want you if not for the emperor taking pity on you and giving you to the third prince?!" 

Jia sighed before shaking her head, the tassles of her hairpins giving off a clear sound in the room.

"You're not giving me something?" Jia asked, her voice turning cold and low.

The second madam was shocked to hear it and felt a shiver going down her spine. Could she actually be scared from that girl by only those few words? How come she felt so strong...?! That girl obviously hadn't eaten much for these days and even her drinking water had been limited to half a bottle yet it was like she didn't go through such trouble at all!

"What do you want for you to get through the doorsteps of the third prince?" the second madam asked with a grumble.

"I am afraid I might miss you, you have been acting like a mother to me after all." Jia spoke, having to hold herself from not laughing at such obvious lies. "Give me the two golden bracelets on your wrists." Jia said while pointing to the woman's hands.

The second madam looked down and felt her heart almost stopping. Those golden bracelets weren't just any golden bracelets! No, they were gifted to her by her husband for her birthday. They meant a lot to her!

"Are you crazy? They were a present from the master to me!"

"Aaah... I see. Bracelets are more important, but you might lose your life one day."

The second madam trembled in fear and anger, quickly taking of the two golden bracelets and throwing it towards Taeha who cought it messily. Carefully she placed them in her waist pouch and looked at Jia.

"You're smarter than I think." Jia chuckled flatly and walked outside the bedroom, leaving a furious woman behind.

The second madam didn't understand why she was afraid of this girl that used to listen obediently to everything she said. Her heart didn't feel at ease at all. Jia couldn't see clearly because of the veil so she had to rely on Taeha, who supported her hand, to lead her to the crimson sedan, decorated with ribbons.

_'Where will I arrive now? Will that prince's estate be safer than here?'_ Jia wondered nervously once she sat down in the wedding sedan.

The young woman's heart was beating loudly against her chest as her hands were clasped together. Once the drums and trumpets started to play, the sedan moved as well, swaying left and right which made Jia get a headache.

"Aaah, so dizzy." she muttered to herself, trying to cope with car sickness. It was like half a day went by for her to finally arrive at the third prince's residence.

"Young miss, we have arrived." Taeha spoke softly, yet loud enough for her to hear. Jia hummed and carefully got out of the sedan. After committing the wedding ceremonies, Jia was brought to a room to wait for the groom. Standing next to her were Taeha and the three dowry maids. The young woman pouted slightly, feeling stuffy and removed the veil which alarmed Taeha.

"Young miss, it's not allowed to remove the veil before the husband has arrived and removed it himself." the young maid reminded Jia but the modern woman ignored her words and placed the scarlet veil that was embroidered with flowers on the bed that she was sitting.

_'I don't have a good feeling about this.'_ Jia thought, wanting to run away but where to?

"You three are the dowry maids the Tang family gifted me?" Jia frowned, looking at the three young maids, each one of them not lacking in beauty.

"Yes." the three maids answered in unison, making Jia frown even more. Sure she knew that there could be many pretty people, but three beauties as maids? It was then that she realized these dowry maids weren't planning to be maids for all their lives. No... They were planning to seduce the third prince and become concubines. This realization made Jia's eyes turn cold as she scanned the three girls.

"That means, I'm your master now. Let me be clear, do something I dislike very much and you'll be punished." Jia announced, the three maids simply agreeing with her words.

Jia clearly knew that the three maids didn't take her words to heart, turning her gaze even colder. Taeha didn't know what was happening so she kept standing in her place quietly, trying to hear the sounds outside to see if the prince had arrived or not and place the veil back on time.

After waiting for quite some time, Taeha finally heard footsteps gettings closer to the room, her hands moving quickly to place the veil back on the headpiece, covering Jia's face. The young woman tried to concentrate on her other senses, especially her hearing.

"Greeting prince Jin." Taeha and three other maids payed their respects, a low hum escaping the third prince. 

"Leave." he spoke, his voice low and slighty cold.

Jia raised an eyebrow, hearing footsteps going to the door, exiting the room. The wooden doors were closed, leaving only her and her newly married husband in the bedroom. The young woman swallowed subtly and tried to calm down her heart.

_'Tang Jia is only seventeen... This prince can't be too old, right?' _Jia couldn't help but wonder, her body sitting elegantly on the bedside.

"You're siting down?" Jia asked, her ears telling her that he man had sat down on a beautifully carved stool.

The third prince raised an eyebrow and looked at the woman dressed in red, the embroidered red veil covering her face. Just from looking at the body the prince knew she wasn't a strong person, yet how did she notice that he had sat down when he was always careful about his movements?

_'A good guess?'_ Jin thought to himself, clearing his throat lightly.

"I am tired." he answered, earning a hum from Jia.

_'He's not going to take off the veil? If not I'm going to do it. This thing is too annoying, blocking my eyesight.' _Jia thought, her hand reaching for the silk, pulling it from her headpiece. But the young woman didn't know that Jin had walked in front of her already to take off the veil.

When that piece of silk disappeared and Jia looked up, the first thing she saw was her husband's face, a pair of beautiful yet frosty eyes. Surprised by the sudden face so close to her, Jia felt her heart skipping a beat out of shock. The third prince was startled by Jia taking off the veil herself, looking at her with a small frown.

"Aaah, you were planning to take off the veil?" Jia asked, trying to break the silence, somehow holding that piece of fabric awkwardly. The third prince didn't answer her and looked at her for a while, Jia sensing him scanning her from top to toe.

_'What's with this guy? He looks so icy. But he is pretty handsome.' _Jia thought, taking her time to look at him as well. Studying his eyebrows, those beautiful dark eyes, those plump lips and his strong built that could be seen even if he wore his wedding robes.

Jin was slightly troubled. This was the first time a woman looked at him like this, those pair of bright eyes trying to read him.

_'What is this woman planning to do...?'_

"I don't know what motives you have and what you did for the emperor to have you marry into this prince's estate. But now that you're my woman, you should do your part of it. I'll take off the hairpiece, it'll only be in the way anyways." Jin said, alarming Jia who narrowed her eyes and looked at him with suspicious eyes.

_'What is this guy planning to do?! My headpiece will be in the way?!'_

"We have to consumate our marriage." Jin said, like he could read Jia's thoughts.

"What nonsense are you talking about?! This must be a camera prank!" Jia shouted, her nervousness and disbelief surfacing again. The third prince knitted his eyebrows together as he looked at the somewhat scared woman.

"I do not know what you are talking about but you should start undressing me... Or will you keep staring at my face?" Jin asked, throwing the golden headpiece on the side table of the bed. Jia closed her gaping mouth and tried to force her eyes away from the prince's face. Consumating the marriage?! How could she forget?

_"How am I going to sleep with a guy I just met? This can't be right? Please let this be a hidden prank. Where is that person that pulled such a bad joke?!'_

"Not moving yet?" Jin asked with a authoritive voice.

Jia trembled slightly, her body feeling weak. She hadn't eaten properly for days! Let alone take a good bath... Now this guy is asking her to pleasure him?!

"I'm very tired, your highness." Jia tried.

"Are you not following my order?" he asked, his voice turning cold and low, almost like a growl. The young woman was having a mental breakdown.

_'This should be kinda okay, right? I married this guy, he'll be my husband for the rest of my life. B-but! I don't know him! Treat it like an one night stand?'_

"Hmm?" Jin looked at the woman who was lost in her thoughts. He noticed the troubled expression on her face yet he couldn't find the fear he thought he would find. Sure, the young woman was slightly scared, but she wasn't crying to leave or trying to commit suicide.

_'I should do everything possible to survive if it's not going against my morals. I personally did the wedding ceremonies with him, he should be considered Lee Jia's husband. Oh my goodness, if dad knows this, he's going to kill him...and me.'_

"Oh." Jia nodded her head and hesitantly moved her hands closer to Jin's waistbelt, carefully untying it and placing it on the wooden table, next to her golden headpiece. Jin looked at her with piercing eyes, taking in each movement she did.

Feeling her heart beat wildly against her chest, Jia couldn't help but try to calm down her chaotic thoughts and keep on undressing the man in front of her. If other people saw the two, they would think that the prince was bullying her!

"Are you scared of me?" Jin asked. Jia's hands stopped as she lifted her head to look at the young man clad in red.

_'Scared of him? No! I'm scared to spend the night with him!'_

She wanted to cry. Usually she's always so proud and strongwilled, courageous yet now...she was like a small flower, almost being blown away by the hurricane coming up her way.

Jin took her silence as a yes and was about to tell her to stop when Jia continued to undress him, pulling the heavy bright red robe from his shoulders, letting the piece of clothing fall on the ground. She looked at it awkwardly, bending down to take that robe and place it over the wooden bar that was meant for hanging their clothes. The third prince frowned, not getting this woman.

"I'm someone that likes to get answers for my questions." he spoke slowly, observing the woman closely, her long eyelashes hiding the look in her eyes.

"I don't know." Jia sighed, removing another layer of clothing, stopping her hands when she noticed there was nothing more but his most inner clothing, a white pair of pants and a same colored top.

Jin's gaze could burn holes in Jia's body but she stood there, unaffected by his eyes staring at her. She was more worried to survive in this place and find a solution to get back to where she belongs. So deep in thoughts, Jia didn't even notice that Jin was helping her to take off her heavy clothes. It was only when she trembled from the cold that she discovered she was wearing only her underwear pants and underwear top. Though Tang Jia had been treated badly for many years and was weak, her body still grew beautifully, giving her the curves and flesh were needed.

"A-are we realy going to consumate our marriage tonight?" Jia asked when the third prince took a step closer to her.

"You don't want to?" 

"I'm just slightly confused... Are we a married couple only in name or are we planning to become a real couple?" 

Jin tilted his head, his dark orbs having a glimmer she couldn't read.

"The emperor bestowed you to me to become my first wife, like this you have become the mistress of my estate. I don't agree with what imperial father did, but I cannot offend him, not now."

The prince's words made Jia's long eyebrows knit together, her red dyed lips pouting together as she got lost in thoughts again.

_'So what is his answer? Faking it or doing it for real?!'_

"Let's get on the bed and sleep." his voice sounded a bit distant as he spoke those words.

"Eh?" Jia was puzzled.

"You said you were tired. If you keep being so absentminded, I will lose my patience with you." the man sighed heavily and looked at her with a frosty glare before his eyes landed on the bed. The young woman quickly nodded her head and crawled on the bed, laying on the mattrass like she was a corpse, her hands laying obediently on her body.

Jin laid down as well and pulled the quilt over them, covering their bodies to keep them warm. The exhaustion in Jia's body had been tiring the woman for quite some already and she did wanted to sleep yet how could she just fall asleep with this man next to her?!

_'If he just wanted to sleep, why is he doing it next to me? Doesn't he have his own room?' _Jia grumbled in her head, not in the least relieved with such a big man next to her. Even though she tried to fight her dropping eyes, Jia dozed off after a few hours, her breathing getting slower and more steady.

Jin's eyes opened lightly, knowing that the woman next to him finally fell asleep. Those beautiful orbs chilled as he thought of something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of the second chapter of Solitary Narcissus! Finally Jin has appeared and one can only imagine the beauty that is Jin dressed in red wedding robes xD  
For those still a bit confused, Jia is a strong female character not invincible so look forward to their journey.
> 
> Hope you guys liked it and leave a comment ~


	3. Walking Cameras

Jin turned his body quietly and raised his hand, ready to attack but suddenly Jia's flashed open, surprising the young man who hesitated a bit, his hand hanging awkwardly mid-air. Jia was shocked to find herself looking at Jin who was ready to attack her.

_'What's this?!'_

The third prince took in a deep breath and moved his hand again, that strong hand going for the woman's neck. Startled by this, Jia instinctively used her right hand to push away the prince's. She rolled further away on the bed and looked at the young man with confused eyes.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asked.

"Testing you." he said arrogantly and pushed himself up as wel, sitting on the matrass. He didn't give her time to let his words sink in as he moved his arms and reached for Jia's shoulders.

His hands tightly gripped on her bones, making her wince in pain but this was nothing compared to what she's used to! Using her two arms to open a gap, she kicked Jin's torso and tried to get out of the wooden bed but that third prince was swift in his movements, taking her leg to pull her closer to him.

_'What's the meaning of this?! A test?! He's obviously drenched in killing aura!'_

"Let me go!" Jia hissed, swaying her other leg towards him and kicked him in his neck, the grip on her ankle loosening which gave her the chance to slip it out of his hand.

_'I can't move well in this bed! Why are ancient beds build like a freaking closet?!' _Jia complained in her head as Jin was still blocking the only corner of the bed to get out of.

_'This woman can fight back? Then her hearing me sit down earlier wasn't just mere coincidence?' _Jin talked to himself in his head as he observed the woman, her eyes scanning the place to find a way to get out of the bed.

"Who do you work for?" Jin demanded to know but this only made Jia even more confused.

_'Who do I work for? I'm still an university student! What's wrong with this fellow?'_

"I work for no one." Jia answered, remembering that the prince told her he likes getting the answers to his questions.

_'Aah, this body is weaker than my real body. I can't move like I usually can.'_

"Not telling me?" Jin asked with a threatening hint in his voice, his eyes so frosty it could freeze people if he had the superpowers to it. He was ready to get her when Jia suddenly moved her body like a snake, getting through him on the left and stumbling on the wooden floor.

_'Finally! More space!'_

"Where do you think you're going?" Jin asked, thinking that she wanted to escape the room, grabbing her upper arm. Jia automatically turned her body and raised her leg, ready to do a high kick when Jin swiftly held it and held it up in the air, his eyes piercing through hers.

"Are you planning to assassinate your husband?" he hissed.

The young woman's eyes narrowed as she scoffed lightly.

"Isn't it your highness that is planning to assassinate his wife? I haven't even been here for two days and you're already trying to get rid of me?" Jia asked back. Jin's eyebrows knitted together as he decreased the gap between their bodies.

"I told you it was a test, who is killing who?" Jin asked.

"With that killing intent all over you? Try to convince me with a better lie." Jia scoffed, shaking her head lightly, the messy long hair falling back into their places.

"Tell me, who do you work for? Maybe I'll decide to keep your life then." 

"I already answered this question. I work for no one. And is it your hobby to go kill people?" 

Jin's left eye jumped making him grumble and get his face closer to hers. Normally Jia would melt with such a good looking person so close to her but she wasn't even sure if she could live till morning!

"You want me to believe you're innocent?"

"What if I am?"

"Hard to know."

Jia sighed, her leg getting tired and her body feeling even weaker than before. Her head was spinning and her body temperature rose.

"I'll keep an eye on you. If I catch you, you're dead meat." Jin threatened his new wife but she had no ears for those words as she could only feel her heart beating loudly against her chest, her ears losing their function and her eyesight getting blurry till everything turned black.

The prince was surprised to find the woman in front of her losing all strength, her body falling down with gravity. Instinctively he used his arms to catch her before she would hit the hard floor with her head.

"She fainted?" he wondered, moving his fingers to her neck to feel her heart pulse. Jin looked at the unconcsious woman in his arms, feeling troubled. Not only could she hold on the fight longer than five minutes, she definitely had some skills.

_'That woman has great instincts.'_

She was able to feel the killing intent he had towards her and escaped the bed and even hit him! With a sigh the prince moved his arms under her body and picked her up, placing her body on the bed again and covering her with the quilt.

"Someone! Summon a doctor!" Jin roared loudly, so loud that it was impossible for the servants outside the chamber to not hear his order.

Those servants and even Jia's maids were startled by this order.

_'Doctor? What happend?!' _Taeha panicked while she felt the palm of her hands getting sweaty.

"Greeting your highness, prince Jin." a man around his fifties said, paying respects to the third prince. Jin waved his hands and looked coldly at the doctor who nervously got up and glanced at Jia that was lying on the bed.

"She fainted out of nowhere."

The doctor nodded his head firmly and neared Jia's body, placed his fingers on her wrist and closed his eyes to feel her pulse. It was quiet in the room, Taeha looked nervously at the doctor while glancing at the dominant looking prince. The poor maid felt her heart beating faster than it should.

"Hmm." the doctor nodded and removed his hand, turning towards the prince again.

"Explain." Jin demanded.

Though the doctor was much older than this third prince, he still felt very small in front of the third prince. This doctor knew that he's a general, he's not a softie at all, his words and gaze domineering.

"Answering your highness. Her highness has a weak body that is malnourished and overexhausted. It seems like she has been going through great stress lately and all this took a toll on her body." the old man answered.

"Malnourished and overexhausted?" Jin asked with a raised eyebrow. The doctor quickly nodded as he glanced at the sleeping woman.

"I'm afraid that her body has not been taken care of since she was younger. I felt that she had been sick many times but never got rid of the roots which ended up messing her imune system and worsening her health."

_'This woman didn't look that weak. Was she forcing herself earlier?' _Jin wondered.

"I shall write a prescription for her. She has to take this medicine for at least two weeks. It will nourish her health little by little and strengten her up again. But her highness definitely needs good rest and nourishing food. Moving her body is a must as well to create balance." the doctor said and wrote a list on a piece of paper that was prepared by Taeha. After he did, he said his goodbyes and left the bed chamber.

Jin stared at the woman sleeping on his bed before glaring at the young maid. Taeha felt like her entire body becoming jelly.

"Tell me why she's like this." he growled, Taeha's palms getting sweatier.

"A-answering your highness... Young miss did not have a good time at the Tang family..." the maid said, her heartbeat accelerating because the glare and stern expression Jin had was scaring her.

"How can the vice prime minister's household be bad? Explain it properly."

Taeha swallowed and quickly nodded her head.

"Young miss suffered at the hand of the second madam when her mother passed away. Many times did she had to search and beg for food in the kitchen, we had no firewood for winter and young miss usually would go to the forests to gather some to burn for warmth. Young miss not only had to take care of herself but second madam and second and third miss would often bully and hit her to vent out their frustrations." 

With every words that Taeha spoke, Jin's frown grew deeper. No one knew that Jia would have been reated like that behind the doors.

"The old master is busy and doesn't have much care in the household, having given the second madam most power in the household. Before this wedding, young miss only got one small bowl of rice gruel to eat a day and was given little water."

Jin's eyes narrowed as he uhmmed, nodded his head and left the room just like that. Taeha was puzzled but sighed in relief because her entire body was tensed in front of that scary prince.

"Young miss." Taeha mumbled, looking at Jia with worried eyes. She thought that once being married off, she would get a better life, but she's already this weak. With a person like the third prince, how will she survive for long?

"I'm not drinking that." Jia grumbled, avoiding Taeha who was holding a bowl of warm medicine. The bowl was filled with a dark liquid that not only smelled bitter but also very untasty.

"Young miss. His highness even summoned a doctor when you fainted. The doctor said that your body is weak and have to nourish it back to health. For this you have to drink the prescript medicine." 

Jia frowned, glaring at that darkbrown almost black liquid. She was used to eat pills, she even hated sirops that had a taste because she would often find it hard to swallow.

"The doctor also said that you have to rest well to rid the exhaustian. But young miss also has to move the body to balance everything out."

The young woman sighed, wanting to smash her head against a wall. Back in her own world she would just visit the hospital to get an IV drip, that'll solve everything, well mostly everything.

"If the medicine gets cold it's only going to taste more bitter and it won't work well anymore. Medicines have to be taken while hot." Taeha tried to smile, bringing that bowl closer to Jia's mouth, ready to feed her with a porcelain spoon.

"It's fine, just give me the bowl." Jia grumbled and took the porcelain bowl carefully, blew the hot medicine a few times and brought it against her lips. She took in a deep breath, readying herself for the bitter taste and swallowed everything in one go.

"Aarghh, it's really too bitter." Jia trembled, Taeha quickly pouring a cup with flower tea to wash the bitter taste down.

"You just have to drink this for two weeks, young miss." Taeha said while placing the medicine bowl on the round table in the room. Jia felt the sky above her shattering.

"I have to take this bitter thing for two whole weeks?!"

Taeha nodded and poured the empty cup with some tea again. The young woman grumbled some incoherent words and looked around, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Where is this?"

"This is his highness' sleeping quarters. Yesterday night you suddenly fainted so his highness let you sleep in his bed."

_'That guy? He doesn't look like someone that would let me sleep on his bed just because I fainted.' _Jia thought, scratching her head lightly. _'And besides! Isn't it because of him tiring me out with all that combatting that I fainted?'_ Jia huffed as those thoughts circled in her head.

The young maid didn't know what was going through Jia's head so she simply stood there, waiting for her young miss to ask her something.

_'Third prince, Jin... A monster is it? He definitely did look kinda scary yesterday, he was about to kill me. Why?'_ Jia frowned as she pulled her legs up and laid her head on them. _'Why does this guy want to kill me? He was asking for who I was working... Could it be that he's suspicious of me being a spy for someone?! Is he that coldblooded to kill the woman he just married because of those suspicions?!'_

"I'm so hungry." Jia pouted, her stomach growling loudly. Till now she still hadn't eaten well. Its torture to treat her like this!

"I'll ask the kitchen to prepare some food for you." Taeha smiled and turned around, ready to leave when Jia stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Young miss?"

"Where are those three dowry maids? I haven't seen them after they left yesterday." 

Taeha looked troubled, glancing around before moving closer to Jia.

"Those three maids are too arrogant and haughty. After they left the room yesterday night, they went to the servant sleeping quarters at your courtyard in this estate. They haven't showed their face till now." the maid explained, not getting how come those three dowry maids could be so casual.

Jia frowned, giving Taeha a small nod.

"You can go to the kitchen. When returning, bring those girls here." 

"Are you planning to eat in my room?" a voice asked, making Jia move her head to the side and seeing Jin walking inside. Behind him was another young man, dressed in dark robes.

_'Personal servant?'_

"Oh... I'm sorry I decided on my own. Can I please eat here before I return to my courtyard?" Jia asked, trying to ignore the intense stare he gave her.

"Prepare for two people." Jin spoke and sat down on a stool, the mysterious man standing behind him like a piece of wood. 

"Yes, your highness." Taeha bowed her head and quickly vanished from the room.

Jia looked at the man, now at daylight she could see his face much clearer than yesterday's candle light. She awkwardly looked at the man sitting two meters away from her.

_'He looks normal, today... As normal that ice cube face can get.'_

"Have you drunk your medicines?"

"Yes."

"Your maid explained your situation in the Tang family before you married me."

"I see." Jia hummed and nodded her head. What else was she supposed to do?

Jin narrowed his eyes and turned his body so that he was looking directly at the young woman sitting in his bed, still wearing those white colored undergarment robes of her. If any other men saw her like this, they would turn red from excitement, but Jin was different because he simply looked at her.

"You're not going to know what you want to know if you just keep looking at me." Jia sighed as she tilted her head. The mysterious man in black was surprised by this woman's way of speaking to his master but kept his lips sealed.

"I'll be keeping my eyes on you for the time being. But once I find the evidence that you have ulterior motives, you're dead meat." Jin threatened but Jia simply knitted her eyebrows.

A threat? She wasn't scared of that. It's not like she didn't get threatened in her own world. As part of a gang and being raised in a family of ex-gangsters, it wasn't unusual for her to get death threats.

_'Making my grandparents angry, is more scary. No... Making grand uncle Jinki angry is really scary!' _Jia thought, a shiver going down her spine.

"I'm still uncertain about some things."

Jin looked at her, his silence telling her to continue speaking.

"What is it that you want? I've lost most of my memories because of the harsh situations that happend in the Tang family but I was told that the emperor personally betrothed me to you. From observing you, you obviously aren't happy with this, even suspecting me of being a spy, which I tell you, I'm not."

The third prince continued to look at her with his frosty eyes.

"I'm guessing, just guessing here...that you want to fake our relationship for him to watch, right? It doesn't benefit you if you treat me badly or even kill me, but you can show the emperor that we are happily married."

Jin hummed once, ready to keep listening to her.

_'This woman isn't easy. Lost her memories? She better not be feigning amnesia. But she's smart enough to know what I want. I definitely should keep an eye on her.'_

"We're married in name only, right?" Jia asked, hoping for him to nod and agree to not have anything more than be a couple in name.

"I'll decide whether you're of use or not after you prove it to me."

_'This guy keeps changing the subject! Yesterday as well. Why isn't he telling me we're only married in name? Just what is it that he wants from me?! Cooperation or everything?' _Jia thought, wanting to punch that guy's face but she tried to calm herself down.

Jia tried to convince herself that punching this guy right now wasn't a good option, she would not only dig a hole for herself but really feel his wrath.

"You're not going to try and kill me for the time being, right?" Jia asked, her eyes twinkling in hope.

"If you act well enough, you'll keep your life." Jin sighed and stood up, throwing a set of clothing on the bed. "Your maid told me that you hadn't prepared other clothes apart from your wedding dress. I don't have female clothes here so I can only give you a maid's outfit for now."

Jia raised an eyebrow and looked at the difficult clothing. Jin turned around and walked towards the diner table with his servant so that Jia could get dressed.

_'I should go outside when I can and melt those golden bracelets. I can't keep wearing a maid's clothes, right?'_

The young woman jumped out of the bed and laid the outfit on the mattrass, studying on how to wear it and once she knew, she slipped them on, tied the strings into ribbons to keep the robes in place. Because her long hair was still loose, Jia looked around for an elastic only to realize there obviously isn't any.

Her eyes scanned through the place and found a hairpin from her wedding headset. She pulled her hair together and started to twirl them to create a bun but there was too many hair so the hairpin couldn't hold on all the hair.

_'How did women even groom their hair to have them so long?!'_

"Stupid hair." she muttered and used her fingers to grab half of her hair, twirled them into a bun and tried to secure them again with the hairpin. 

A smile appeared on her lips when the hairpin didn't fall out of her hair. Satisfied with getting dressed and even taking care of her long locks, she walked to the dinner table that was in another section of the room.

When the third prince heard some noise behind him, he turned his head and found the young woman walking towards him, her hair messily pulled in a half updo and her body dressed in a servant's outfit. Though she was wearing a maid's clothing, Jia didn't look like a mere servant at all! Around her was an air of luxury, her strong and confident eyes making her shine even more.

Like perfect timing, Taeha returned to the room with the three dowry maids behind her, all of them holding plates of food. When the delicious scent and mouterwathering dishes were placed on the table, Jia's stomach growled in excitement, making her cheeks blush from embarassment.

_'Calm dow, stomach! You'll get your food.'_

"Greeting your highness." the three dowry maids paid their respects to the third prince but they ignored their greetings for Jia which made taeha look at them unhappily.

Jin hummed once and took his pair of chopsticks, grabbing a piece of meat and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Kneel." Jia ordered, taking a piece of spinach and bringing it carefully towards her mouth. When she chewed on the boiled spinach that was covered with a sweet yet salty sauce, she happily danced in her heart.

_'Even a piece of vegetable tastes amazing after suffering!'_

"Not kneeling?" Jia asked, glaring at the three dowry maids that were taken back by this order, especially by the strong tone Jia used.

Jin didn't flinch, neither did he care, busying himself with eating.

"What have these servants done wrong for young miss to want us to kneel?" one of three maids asked.

"Are you not quickly kneeling?" Jia hissed. "Since when did servants have to right to question their master?!"

The three maids quickly dropped themselves on their knees with widened eyes. They felt wronged. Just how could Tang Jia make them kneel like this, embarassing them in front of the third prince?

The young woman that was dressed in a maid's dress took a spoonful of steamed eggs and let it melt in her mouth before letting her eyes travel to the three kneeling girls. Their pretty faces were wearing troubled expressions, their eyes filled with hatred and resentment.

Though the prince was eating quietly, he was observing with his eyes, surprised by how fierce she suddenly turned.

_'Wasn't this woman bullied? It looks more like she's the bully.'_

"Are you not seeing your real master, not even paying respects to me?" 

The dowry maids didn't answer.

"Don't think that I don't know what that concubine is thinking, sending you three with me as dowry maids. Is it not just to seduce his highness?" Jia said, glancing at the third prince that had stopped eating and beholding this situation.

"Young miss, this is slander!" another one of the three girls gasped, looking at Jia with those brown orbs of hers. "On what basis is young miss saying this? And even in front of his highness?"

"Oooh, really?" Jia scoffed after taking a bite from the tofu.

"Young miss must have misunderstood something, we came here to serve young miss." the third maid said, feeling greatly offended.

"And here I was thinking that maybe I can make one of you a concubine for his highness." Jia smirked, loving the way their faces fell, speecheless. Jin cleared his throat but didn't say something to reject this offer of her.

"Young miss, we would be greatly grateful to you if you give us this chance." one of them said shamelessly. "But foremost, we're dowry maids picked out specially by the second madam. Our task is to serve young miss."

The third prince looked at the dowry maids with disgusted eyes. Jia wanted to let him see that she didn't lie about being mistreated in the Tang family. What better way was there than to show him that these three dowry maids came to seduce him and crawl on his bed to keep it warm?! Even shamelessly admitting to it.

"You're quite daring, aren't you?!" Jia growled. "Your master hasn't even been married for one month yet and you're already prepared to snatch your master's man?!"

Jin frowned at her announcing him as her man, the lad clad in black trying hard to not laugh at this statement.

"Young miss, you can't keep defaming us." the maid that was so shameless to accept her offer to become a concubine raised her voice. Jia narrowed her eyes, placed down her chopsticks and walked towards the maid with slow yet steady steps.

"It seems that you're not that smart, are you?" Jia chuckled darkly. "Clearly, I have to teach you a lesson for you to understand." Jia hissed and kicked on the maid's shoulder, making her fall harshly on the floor. The two other maids gasped and looked at the girl crying out in pain.

_'Not slapping, but kicking?'_ Jin wondered, a pleasant glint flashing through his eyes.

Taeha was astonished, her hand covering her wide open mouth, her eyes widened big.

"Y-young miss!" the maid cried out but it didn't work at all, it only made Jia grab her collar and pull her up again. Fear was filling the maid's eyes.

She didn't get it. She was obviously beautiful in face and body. She was skilled in many things, all ready to become a concubine for the third prince and keep him away from Tang Jia, yet... Yet since when did that weak Jia become so strong?!

"Now, I don't really like to bully other people, especially young girls like you." Jia said, her voice cold. "But you're trying to reach for something that is mine and you're not allowed to."

_'There is no way I'm going to be just a scared rabbit in this place. I'll be eaten by other people. It's better to take the stance of offense and show them that I'm not one to be tormented!'_

"Your highness. Please save this one, please save this servant! Your highness." the maid sobbed, tears staining her rosy cheeks.

Obviously this wasn't the first time she used this to trick other men but unfortunately for her, the third prince wasn't even a bit touched by those tears. The maid's heart felt like being stabbed by a dagger. Not only did that prince not even look properly at her, a stinging pain appeared on her left cheek when Jia hit her.

_'This girl should be thankful I'm slapping her and not punching like I usual would do.' _Jia sighed inwardly and threw the bawling girl away.

"Your highness... What am I supposed to do with these dowry maids? They're a gift from the Tang family's second madam yet they're trying to reach for something too high for them."

Her words were like a woman whining to her lover. Who didn't know what she was saying. Jia was obviously complaining about the maids being send to harm their wedding life and other motives.

"Such maids aren't useful." he said coldly, the three maids looking at him with petrified eyes. "Marrying them off to sons of my servants living at the countryside is already me giving them face." Jin said and looked at the man standing behind him.

With a nod he finally opened his mouth.

"Come, drag these three maids away from here!"

Jia looked at the man, his face too good looking to be a simple servant.

"Your highness, please, don't send us away. Your highness!" the maids wailed, trying to fight against the servants dragging them away from the room. Their loud cries made Jia' heart tighten but this was for the best. If they were kept in this place, Jin might have killed them all three! At least like this, they can still live. As maids they're marrying other servants, this is already good enough. Because if Jin wouldn't have killed them out of frustration, she would have gotten sick from being annoyed by them. After all, she disliked such people.

Jia sighed and picked her chopsticks up again, trying to grab for the lighter stuff on the plates. After being hungry for so long, she couldn't permit herself to already eat oily and heavy food.

"Yoongi, tell the housekeeper to give me two capable maids, ready to serve her highness."

"Understood." the man clad in black said and disappeared from the room like the wind.

"If you're done eating, leave." 

Jia bit the insides of her cheeks as she looked at the table that was still filled with food. Even though she wanted to continue eating, she couldn't overuse her stomach for now. She simply nodded and was about to leave when Jin stood up as well, walking along side her.

"Eh?"

"You don't know where your courtyard in this place is, how will you get there?" he explained and started to walk, his footsteps fast.

"Aaah, right." Jia smiled embarassed and tried to keep up with Jin's quick steps.

They didn't walk too long, arriving at a place filled with bamboo. Now that she thought about it, Jia didn't see much flowers in this manor.

_'Guess this prince doesn't like flowers. Bamboo is pretty nice too though.'_ Jia thought, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Azure Cloud Residence will be your place to stay from now on." Jin said one more sentence and left the place, leaving the two girls alone in an unfamiliar place.

"Should we go inside, young miss?" Taeha asked, the young woman nodding her head and taking the initiative to go inside. This residence was very spacious, big and clean. 

"This is the bed chamber, young miss." Taeha spoke when she opened a door and looked at Jia.

The two walked inside this big sleeping chamber, their eyes plastered on the sizable bed placed against a wall, light green colored bed curtains that were decorated with beads and tassels hanging neatly on the sides with the help of silver hooks.

_'This room is bigger than my bedroom! How big is this house?' _Jia pondered, her eyes scanning the place. Aside the huge bed, the room was decorated with simple yet necessary furniture.

"It's a bit too empty, no?" Jia asked Taeha who quietly smiled.

"Greeting your highness." a voice said loudly, Jia quickly turning her body to find a middle aged man bowing in respect, behind him two girls doing the same.

_'The maids Jin prepared?'_

"You are?'

"I'm the housekeeper of this estate. You can call me housekeeper Hu. Master has let me give you two maids to serve you." the man explained, his hand directing towards the two girls behind him.

Jia hummed, nodding her head.

"These two maids will serve you from now on, so please ask them things you don't understand."

"Thanks." Jia smiled, the housekeeper's eyes turning warmer. He was skeptical about this woman, who knew where she appeared from to harm his master. But that one smile and those strong yet bright eyes made his heart ease a little bit.

"Then I will be leaving. If your highness has any commands for me, do not hesitate to summon me."

"I will, thank you again."

The middle aged man nodded her left the Azure Cloud Residence.

An awkward silence appared when Jia didn't speak and the two new maids didn't talk either.

"Euhm... What are your names?" Jia asked with a friendly smile, letting herself sit on a beautifully carved wooden chair, the cushion on it giving her the feeling she was sitting in a comfy couch.

Jia looked at the two girls, probably fifteen or sixteen in age. Though these two maid were pretty as well, they weren't like the dowry maids, all arrogant and haughty. Instead these two had fresh looks and didn't flaunt them.

"Answering her highness, this servant is called Inha." the maid with feline looking eyes said.

"This servant is called Minji." the other maid, with the more dewy eyes, spoke.

"You two don't have to keep calling me her highness. It feels too pressuring. You can call me like Taeha does." Jia said and looked at Taeha who nodded her head once. "You three, hope you all get along."

"Yes, young miss." Taeha spoke determined.

"Yes, young miss." Minji and Inah spoke in sync.

_'These two maids... Jin obviously got these two to keep an eye on me.'_

"Young miss, high highness told us to listen to your words. Do you have any commands?" Minji asked, relaxing her body when Jia smiled.

"Can I go outside?" Jia asked.

"High highness has not forbidden young miss to leave the manor." Inha answered.

"Am I allowed to spend the prince's money?" Jia asked, a little bit careful now. Minji and Inha looked at each other.

"I shall ask for young miss." Inha said and left the room.

"Is young miss planning to shop?" Minji asked politely. Jia grinned and nodded her head, feeling lazy but she can't keep walking in a maid's clothing, right?

"I want to get some new clothes and maybe decorate the place a bit? It feels slightly empty." Jia explained, Minji nodding her head once. She had noticed that this woman was wearing a maid's clothing and though she didn't act all snobbish, she didn't feel like a maid at all, not with that look in her eyes.

"Young miss." Inha who had returned bowed her head once.

"What did that guy say?" Jia asked,hoping that she was allowed to get some pocket money and spend them.

Inha was startled to find Jia call the third prince simply by 'that guy'. Who would even dare to call his highness like that?!

"His highness wants me to convey to you his message: you can spend my money like you want but don't do anything suspicious." Inha said, clearing her throath after announcing the prince's words.

Jia scoffed, rolled her eyes and walked out of the Azure Cloud Residence. Taeha, Inha and Minji followed her obediently even though Jia had to follow Minji's directions towards the gates of the manor.

Once they left the enormous manor and walked towards to busy streets, Jia could verify once again that she truly had transmigrated. Not only was there no sign of any camera or filming crew or even just someone secretly holding a phone, everyone was wearing historical clothing and as far as she could see, there were no skyscrapers to find.

Since Jia didn't know this place well, she randomly walked into a clothing shop that looked decent enough. Once they walked in, the shop owner greeted the four 'maids'.

"Are you girls here on an errand for your master?" the shop owner asked, ready to sell his products. Inha was about to speak and explain that Jia was their master but the young woman was faster with her words.

"Can we have personally tailored clothings here as well?" 

The shop owner quickly nodded his head.

"Of course. If you can give me the measurements for your master, personal tailored dresses can be made."

Jia smiled and nodded her head satisfied.

_'Since I don't know what kind of clothing is the best, it's better to make them, right?'_

"You can take my measurements, they'll be the same." 

The shop owner nodded and called for a female shop helper to measure the sizes needed for the clothing.

"What kind of outfits would you like to order?" the shop owner asked after getting the measurements in his hands, the ink still slightly moist.

"Inha, what kind of clothing is needed?" Jia asked, looking at the maid who played along with her.

"Our young miss needs everything. Undergarments, dresses, coats, belts, formal outfits, everything that a wife of a prince needs." she spoke, the shop owner almost losing his breath.

The wife of a prince?! How could he not know what kind of clothing is needed then!

"Why didn't you girls tell me sooner." the shop owner gasped. "Here are the best fabrics of our store." the shop owner smiled widely, gesturing towards a pile of rolled up fabrics.

"Will this quality be good enough?" Jia asked, Minji quickly nodding her head.

"Yes, the quality looks very good."

Jia smiled and let her fingers touch the soft fabrics, the silk feeling smooth against her fingertips.

"This light purple, the teal one, light blue, pastel yellow, dark blue, soft orange and this one." Jia pointed towards a few colors that she liked from the pile. "Don't make the outfits too extravagant, please." Jia asked, the shop keeper nodding his head furiously.

"I'll look around for some more things, can you please measure these three girls and make them some maid's outfits?"

"Of course! Please look around." the shop owner beamed and asked Taeha, Minji and Inha to follow him.

The maids were surprised that even them were getting new clothes! But the two new maids kept their mouth and quitely noted everything down so that they could report everything to their master. While the three maids were busy, Jia walked around to find two outfits around her size.

"I want these two as well, can you please wrap them up for me?" 

The middle aged man nodded and carefully took the two outfits, wrapped them up in a square fabric so that it was easy to hold while shopping and happily noted everything down for the ordered outfits.

"When will everything be ready?" Minji asked.

"They will be done in one week. Do you want this shop to bring it to the door?" 

_'Oh, like online shopping delivery?' _Jia mused in her head.

"Inha, give the shop owner the address please."

When everything was done, the four walked out of the shop and continued to shop around happily.

_'Aaah, spending money that isn't mine sure is nice!' _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter of this story ~  
Jia finally got out of the manor and is enjoying her time spending money that is not hers!   
Look forward for more adventures of Jia's new life as Tang Jia.


	4. Training

"Your highness."

Jin lifted his head from the book he was reading and looked at his personal servant and bodyguard, Yoongi. The young man was dressed in black robes, complimenting his beautiful complexion and his youthful face.

"Hmm." Jin hummed, laying the book down after bookmarking it with a brush he found on the wooden desk.

"Yesterday they went shopping again. She bought paper, brushes and inkstones. Aside from getting somre more accessoiries like fans and knot tassels, she didn't spend more money." Yoongi reported what the maids had told him, reporting it to his master, the third prince.

Jin nodded his head, satisfied that this woman didn't spend money like a chicken with no head. Though he had told her she could spend his money as she wanted, she understood that being greedy wasn't an option.

"Have you found evidence?" the prince asked as he leaned against his cushioned chair, looking at the young man that sighed and shook his head.

"I haven't found anything. Though she's suspicious with things she's muttering about and being completely different than we thought... She hasn't met with anyone, neither did she write letters or anything of the sort. Of course she got writing utensils yesterday, so she might start."

"Continue observing her. The emperor bestowed her to me to become my first wife... This is purely because he wants to control me so that he can keep me chained." Jin said, those dark orbs of his turning icy. Yoongi looked at his master and good friend, nodding his head.

"Are you suspecting that she is working for the emperor?" Yoongi asked, Jin sighing in response.

"I don't know if it's the emperor, the empress, those consorts or whoever... But why would father use an imperial edict to have me marry that woman?" Jin hissed, slamming the table with his fist, the furniture shaking from the strength.

"Then what should we do?" Yoongi couldn't help but ask, his heart feeling uneasy.

"Keep acting. Let the person behind this realize that I and that women get along. Even she realized that we should continue lying to the people outside to keep them fooled." Jin smirked, touching the ring on his index finger. "The only problem is that it's hard to get along with someone I don't want to get along with." he sighed, shaking his head lightly.

While these two young men were discussing the new bride, this specific young woman was in her room, stretching her legs with the help of her bedpost. Taeha was already used to find Jia trying to make her body more flexible but the two new maids were surprised to find their mistress acting differently than they expected.

These two new maids knew that the new misstress of the prince's estate was a daughter of the vice prime minister, so they thought Jia would be an elegant, sophisticated woman, soft and dignified. Who would have guessed that not only was Jia lazy and liked to lay in bed staring in front of her and spacing out while watching out of the window into the inner garden of their courtyard?

Not only was that strange to the two maids. All of the sudden, Jia decided that she had to follow the doctor's advice and move a little, to improve her health. But that moving the body a bit, turned out to be her training her body to strengten it and increase it's flexibility.

Taeha was sometimes startled to find the unusual things her young miss did, but she was already like this a few days before she married into this place. the movements only became more outspoken, that was all.

"Young miss, w-what are you doing?" Minji asked, her eyes widened when Jia reached her leg higher, her eyes closing to concentrate and ignore the pain in her thighs.

"Stretching." Jia mumbled, keeping her body straight while muttering incoherent things to the three maids.

Those girls didn't know that Jia was actually muttering the words her grand uncles and uncles would normally tell her during training. Especially her grand uncle Jinki! Though that man was already old, he was pretty stern and intense in training her. But who could blame him. Even her own mother couldn't complain because she went through those hard lessons of him as well.

"Think of a mountain, a big high mountain.... Reach for the top with your toe, reach for the top, imagine becoming taller than the mountain." Jia mumbled as she drew a big mountain in her head, her legs creeping higher and higher as she continued to stretch.

After half an hour, Minji thought Jia would stop, but she was completely wrong. Stretching was purely warm up!

"This dress is too unpractical." Jia complained, stripping the clothes she had on which shocked Taeha.

"Young miss, you can't just take of your clothes like this! Please warn us so that we can make sure no one will suddenly walk in." the girl cutely complained, her lips pouting together.

"Taeha, you're worrying too much. It isn't like I'm here naked, is it? And who is even going to come to my courtyard? That guy didn't even show his face lately." Jia shrugged her shoulders as she grinned casually, throwing her outer robes, skirt and belt on the bed.

Inha quietly walked towards that bed and took the pieces of clothing, hanging them neatly on the wooden bar besides the bed. Though they were baffled, no one dared to stop Jia.

"Inha, can you fix me a workout set?" Jia asked, standing in the room in her undergarment robes. The young maid didn't quite understand what exactly she meant but still she opened her mouth to reply her.

"Does miss mean more convenient clothes to move in? Will a pair of pants and short upper robe do?" 

"That would be perfect!" Jia beamed, thanking the maid. "Add some comfortable shoes too, thanks!"

In the beginning they weren't that used to getting thanked for the small things they did, but now they started to quite like it and of course appreciate the good feelings. Where would they find a master like Tang Jia? It wasn't easy at all!

"Minji, prepare a pot of water for me, please."

The doe eyed maid nodded and left the room for the kitchen.

Jia nodded her head firmly and took in a deep breath. While she calmed down her mind and tried to void everything around her, the female body started to move around. The movements were simple, nothing too complicated but they flowed like water. It wasn't something the maids were used to see, it wasn't like practice that the general would do with his soldiers.

"Has miss always done this?" Inha asked in a whisper, Taeha shaking her head lightly.

"No, only recently. Maybe she's happy that she married?" Taeha wondered, Inha smiling at how naive the young maid was yet so cutely innocent.

Jia recalled the training from her past life, starting from the beginning with easy movements, building up her strength and flexibility in her limbs. She didn't do it for very long, stretching her limbs lazily in the air and on the ground when she finished.

Minji just came back with a pot of lukewarm water.

"Shall I pour a cup with water for you, miss?" she asked, ready to do it when Jia stopped her.

"Later." Jia said slightly absentminded, suddenly jumping up and down, her movements drastically changing from the waterlike movements she did before.

_'One, two, three four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, then!'_ Jia counted in her head as she opened her arms, moving them up and down along with her legs, the jumping jacks already tiring her out._ 'Cardio, need to build it up, this body is too quickly tired!'_

"Two, two, three four,..."

The maids silently looked at the cardio workout their misstress did, feeling tired for her.

After working out for at least an hour, Jia relaxed her body and stretched her muscles again, making sure she wouldn't feel too sore later. Taking the cup of water, she gulped it down, poured some more water in it to swallow it down again.

"Young miss, aren't you tired like this?" Taeha asked, giving her a cotton cloth for her to dry herself from the sweat.

"Nah, I'm used to it." Jia grinned, slowly sipping from the cooled down water after drying off the sweat she could see.

"I'll prepare a bath for miss." Minji said and walked away to the bathroom that was next to the bedroom.

"Used to it?" Taeha asked as she tilted her head to the side, trying to remember when her misstress had moved her body like this, but no matter how much she thought and tried to pry in her memories, nothing came up.

The young maid could only remember the times she had to prepare her own baths by going to the well to get water and boil it herself and the times she was forced to kneel for punishment for things she didn't even do or weren't harsh enough to kneel hours in the cold.

"Hmm." Jia only smiled and stretched her waist, arms high in the air.

"Aaah, after a workout it feels so fresh!" Jia beamed happily letting herself enjoy her body feeling much better after sporting. Staying stiffly in the room with nothing to do isn't much for her. She loves lazing around but not all day after all.

_'Aside from being married to some creep, this life is still pretty good.'_ Jia thougt to herself, standing up from the stool she had sat on to start walking to her wardorbe.

"Does young miss want to wear a new dress today?" Inha asked her feline eyes looking at every movement Jia commited.

The young woman hummed and nodded her head as she opened the wooden wardrobe doors, revealing a few dresses. The tailored ones haven't arrived yet so there was a part of the closet that was still empty.

"The...blue one." Jia smiled, ready to take out the marine colored dress out of the wardrobe when Inha stopped her.

"I'll take care of it, miss. Why don't you go to the bathroom, Minji is probably done with the preparations."

Jia looked at the pretty girl and nodded her head, skipping her way to the bathroom. Inha carefully took out the set of the marine colored dress and followed Jia and Taeha. The young woman stepped inside a steamy room, the hot air already making Jia smile. When Minji wanted to help her misstress take off her clothes, the young woman quickly stopped her.

"I can take off my own clothes, I'm better used to that." Jia explained, Minji recalling that indeed she didn't like others helping her undress.

Her fingers went to the strings that were tied together and untied them, unbottons the small knots from the loops and slipped off her upper undergarment. She stripped off her undergarment pants as well and dipped her right hand in the water to feel the temperature. Nodding satisfied, she looked at the maids waiting to help her.

"Aren't you girls warm?" she asked as she took off the last pieces of clothes that covered her chest and bottom.

"We are alright, miss." Inha smiled and placed the set of clothes carefully on a wooden bar, each layer making Jia frown deeper.

_'So many layers!'_

Slowly Jia stepped inside the bath tub, the size like a small pool.

_'This place could be a five star hotel! Even the bath is like a mini pool.' _Jia thought in awe, letting her body submerge in the hot water.

Her lips curled up as her muscles relaxed in the bath, the scent of the fresh flower petals filling her nostrils. And just like this Jia had done the same routine for a few days. Training, enjoying a bath and doing small exercises when she had time.

"Young miss... We have to return to the Tang family to visit." Taeha reminded Jia who was eating her breakfast leisurely one day, scooping up the rice and topping it with a piece of tender chicken meat.

"Return to that place? Why?" she asked, taking a sip from her soybean milk.

_'Aaah, the food is good in my world, but the food in this place is also very good!' _Jia was happy to fill her stomach, not having to worry about starving again.

"Have you forgotten, young miss? It's part of the tradition of marriage." Taeha said, her eyes feeling sad just by the thought Jia was obligated to visit her parents.

_'Ugh, I need to see that annoying woman again?'_ Jia thought, the good she had while eating the tasty food having disappeared completely, the smile replaced by a gloomy expression.

"I really have to go?" Jia asked, Taeha nodding with a troubled expression.

"Miss, this is custom. Shall we help prepare miss to be presented beautiful for his highness?" Inha asked, handing over the soap.

"The prince? Why should we go see him?" Jia frowned, completely confused.

"It's to tell his highness that you're visiting the parents, so that he knows when to go with miss?" Inha answered, not sure how come even the most normal customs this woman didn't know.

_'I have to get that guy with his murderous thoughts with me?!'_

"Fine." Jia grumbled, letting her body slide down so that she disappeared completely under water, trying to cool down her annoyance.

_'Will that guy even agree?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for enjoying the fourth chapter of Solitary Narcissus!   
So lovely for the kudos and comments, please don't be silent readers!  
Would love to hear your thoughts, opinions and questions ^^ Look forward for more ~


	5. Visiting

The sun was shining through the open doors of the bookroom, the autumn weather presenting a soft breeze. Inside the bookroom a scent of sandalwood lingered around as the third prince sat on his cushioned chair, one hand holding a book while the other supported his head while reading the words on the flipped page.

This scenery looked like it came straight out of a historical drama, the handsome face of the prince while immersed in reading was top eyecandy! When Jia arrived in front of the bookroom and saw the picturesque scenery in front of her, she could only swallow and admit that though this prince was creepy and murderous, he was definitely goodlooking!

Jia had seen many people, she had a handful of suiters at her university campus as well, not to forget that her family's friends are all really good looking people yet... Yet she was momentarily shocked by how beautiful Jin was.

Those dark eyes and that prideful arrogance gave others the feeling that he was difficult to aprroach yet because he was sitting there so serene while being embraced with that particular scent of sandalwood, he almost resembled an immortal.

The young woman tried to pull her sanity back and shook her head lightly before she entered the room. Inha was about to announce her arrival because she noticed no one was standing in front of the room but she didn't expect for Jia to walk inside so casually. Taeha quickly followed her with scared eyes, hoping with all her might that the third prince wouldn't get angry for this.

"Your highness." she spoke, waiting for Jin to respond but he simply ignored her existence and continued to have his eyes plastered on the book.

_'I bet he's not even really reading!'_ Jia complained in her head as she cleared her throath.

She noticed that the three maids bowed their heads and bended their knees to give their respect and to greet this third prince.

_'Aah, should I also greet him?' _Jia wondered as she took a step closer and bended her legs slightly.

"Greeting your highness." Jia tried, peeking some glanced at him. Jin hummed lightly and retreated his eyes from the book he was holding, placing the paper book on the wooden table, his eyes piercing directly at Jia.

"What is it that you have come to me?" Jin asked, his cold eyes making the maids behind him look at the floor.

"I have to visit my parents, according to customs the husband has to accompany the wife." Jia explained her searching for him.

"I see." he nodded his head, taking the book back into his hands.

_'I see? Just a simple I see...? He's not planning to come with me, is he?' _

"I will be leaving for the Tang's estate then." Jia said flatly and turned her body around to leave. Jin was surprised that she suddenly left, not trying to convince him to go along with her or even beg and plead.

"Young miss, we can't just leave like this." Taeha gasped as they left the prince's courtyard.

"It's fine. Isn't it just visiting and then leaving again? I already knew his highness wouldn't go with me." Jia shrugged her shoulders as she strolled towards the estate's gate, a carriage already prepared. Inha and Minji glanced at each other before quietly getting on the carriage after their misstress got on.

_'Aah, motion sickness.'_ Jia grumbled in her head, the carriage swaying left and right. _'I should just walk next time.'_

"At least I'm outside that manor." Jia mumbled to herself as her lips curled up in a soft smile, her slender fingers opening the curtain of the window next to her to peek outside. Many people made way for the carriage while stealing glances, wondering just who this person sitting in the carriage could be. But it wasn't hard to guess that it was definitely someone of high status. The carriage Jia was sitting in was made out of the best wood, beautiffuly carved with flower patterns, painted by beautiful luxurious colors on certain carvings to make the flowers pop out like a lively painting.

While Jia was trying to remember the road they took, the carriage finally came to a stop.

"We have arrived, princess."

Minji jumped out of the carriage, followed by Inha as they both helped Jia get off the carriage, Taeha making sure her misstress was supported from the back. Jia's eyes scanned the manor she first arrived in, the outside looking big and extravagant. Raising an eyebrow she couldn't help but feel angry for the original owner of this body. 

"Young miss?" Taeha asked, noticing that Jia didn't move and simply stared at the gates.

The young woman looked at the young maid, gave a nod and walked towards the gate, the gatekeepers having recognized who was planning to go inside the manor. Because of this, the two gatekeepers didn't stop her and quickly let a maid bring word to the second madam.

"Greeting her highness." the two well build men bowed their heads, paying their respects to Jia who ignored them and walked inside.

Normally someone would feel nostalgic when arriving back to the place they grew up in, but this place was like a public park for Jia. Because she didn't know anything about this place it wasn't something to feel warm with. A maid swiftly arrived at Jia's side, gave a bow that was barely enough to give respects to her status and asked her to follow her to the main hall.

Though Taeha was used to this, Inha and Minji weren't, the two feeling extremely wronged for being treated like this. Jia had seen their faces fall, their eyes turning cold.

"Inha, Minji, let's go." Jia smiled, the two maids' expressions turning calm again and nodding their heads.

"Yes, miss."

After following that Tang estate's maid for a while, they finally arrived at the main hall of the manor, the living room of the entire place. The space was empty, there was no one to see, not even a servant to spot which made Inha frown deeply.

"Please wait here." the maid said carefree and strotted away, leaving Jia and her maids alone to tend for themselves in the main hall.

"Is this how they should treat your highness?" Inha spoke, her feline eyes turning cold as she glanced at Jia who went to sit down on a chair.

"So this is how the Tang's estate treats a guest?" Minji huffed, shaking her head.

"This is already better than the past." Taeha explained and stood obediently next to Jia who tapped her fingers on the woode chairarm.

She took this chance to look around the main hall, the place decorated with multiple luxurious vases, some having flowers in them. The curtains used in this main hall were made of the best velvety fabric while the furniture were extravagant in their decoration and color using.

_'Everything just screams money. Are they trying to tell thieves what's expensive and is good to steal?'_ Jia couldn't help but think, leaning back against the wooden chair, the soft cushion making her sit comfortably.

After ten minutes of waiting, Inha looked at Minji, the other maid looking back. They have been standing there, Ji sitting on the chair all quiet. There was not even a maid pouring tea for their misstress!

"Miss, we shou-" Minji wanted to speak but Jia raised her hand, a gesture to make her stop her words. Minji's doe eyes looked at Jia, feeling confused.

"Don't fret. We don't have any appointment after this visit, isn't it? Let's just wait and see if they will show themselves." Jia spoke slowly, calm and dignified.

"This isn't giving miss any face. How can they treat you like this?" Inha felt really wronged for her misstress. Though at the third prince's estate, his highness didn't really bother himself with his wife but he never maltreated her like this.

Wasn't this supposed to be her parents' house? Is this how they treat a daughter? Not just a daughter, but the first daughter?!

"I'm not even complaining yet you're already feeling fed up." Jia chuckled, patting Inha's hands gently. This gesture made Inha feel even more puzzled about this misstress. Though she sometimes looked cold, she was a very warm and friendly person, she treated the servants, especially them with a sincere heart.

This pat meant a lot for Inha so she nodded her head even though she didn't wanted to give up on finding someone to explain this situation. Like that silence returned to the main hall, time ticked by as the four of them waited for someone to appear.

Though it was quiet, Jia's head was filled with thoughts.

_'Jin's bookroom looked like a library... I wonder if I'm allowed to lend some books to read to cover for the boredom in that place? With no computer, no cellphone, there really isn't much to do.'_

_'I can't keep sporting and training, so I'll ask him when we're back home.'_

_'Home... It's been days since I've been here, what about mom? Dad? My family?'_

The thought of her real family made her heart feel lonely. She was used to having such a big family that suddenly being alone like this made her feel empty. There always would be someone next to her, a sibling, a parent, an uncle... 

_'What happend to my real body? Did that pervert get a hold of it? Am I kidnapped? Killed? In the hospital? Did I just...disappear?'_

"Aah, You must have waited for a long time." a voice rang in Jia's ears, pulling her out of her depressive thoughts. Her bright and clear eyes looked at the second madam, followed by two teenage girls and a group of servants.

_'So lively now.'_

"I did." Jia agreed right away, making the second madam not know what to say as she tried to smile it off, quickly ushering a maid to make some tea and prepare snacks to go with them. Inha noticed that Jia didn't speak anything about waiting for almost two hours so she just kept her lips sealed, forcing herself to calm her annoyance down.

"Mother, we shouldn't have rushed. It seems like she didn't even wait that long anyways." the oldest girl said, her age not much younger than Jia's. Her hair was groomed prettily into a half updo with buns holding beautiful hairpins. The jewelry she was wearing complimented the orange colored dress the girl was wearing well.

_'The first daughter of this woman.'_ Jia noted down mentally and let her eyes sweep to the other girl dressed in pink, her face looking like she hadn't lost her baby fat quite yet.

_'This concubine's second daughter?'_

"You three must have rushed a lot." Jia commented sarcastically as she looked at the maid pouring tea in porcelain tea cups, the hot liquid creating a leafy steam.

"Do you have any complaints?" the oldest daughter asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Jia with arrogance.

Inha was about to lose her temper but Minji quickly stopped her fellow maid while Taeha had her eyes casted to the floor, the punishments received in this place still haunting her. The maid that had steeped the green tea gave the first cup to the second madam, followed by her daughters. Only when those three got their cup did the maid place one in front of Jia. This was something Jia noticed the moment the maid started to pour the hot beverage, her eyes ignoring her presence.

"You tell me." Jia answered, glancing at the cup of tea in front of her, not even planning to drink from it.

"What's with you? Now that you married off you think you're all that?" 

"Suan, she's not even worth getting angry for." the oldest girl said, talking to her younger sister that had red cheeks from feeling dissatisfied with Jia's attitude.

_'Suan? So this girl's name is Suan, then the other one...?' _Jia noted down in her mind as she kept quiet, observing everything around her.

"Sister." Suan complained but the older girl smiled lightly and looked with vicious eyes at Jia. The latter one raised an eyebrow and looked back at her, discovering the disgust she had for her.

"Jia, you better know your place. It doesn't mean that because you're married to someone and have left this house that you have all freedom to act like how you want." the oldest daughter of the second madam spoke, her voice coated with hate and dislike.

"So what you want to tell me is that I should know my place?" Jia asked with almost innocent looking eyes. The second madam smirked as her oldest daughter nodded.

"So it's like this." Jia nodded, those bright eyes turning cold. "Then you tell me, what is supposed to be my place?" she turned to ask, her eyebrows raising as she waited for an answer. Suan looked at Jia with suspicious eyes.

_'How come she changed so much? She used to be such a scaredy cat, crying and pleading is what she should do!' _Suan thought, feeling extremely irritated by the fact that Jia didn't only not look very sorry but was dressed in a beautiful teal colored dress, peonies embroidered on it with silver threads.

"Are you asking me to tell you?" Suan's sister asked as she started to feel annoyed by how indifferent Jia looked.

Jia simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Tang Jia, you're really thinking that you can become a phoenix?! Seems like you need another lesson to know just what things you did wrong today!" 

Jia looked at the girl trying to slap her but Jia easily stopped her by grabbing that arm, tightening her grip which made the girl wince in pain. Mercilessly Jia threw that arm away from her, the girl almost losing her balance by the power used by Jia.

"Yein!" the second madam gasped, quickly running towards her eldest daughter to see if she was alright.

_'Aha! So this girl is called Yein?'_

"What did you do to Yein?!" the second madam hissed angered, pushing Jia away but the young woman wasn't some young sprout, standing strongly in her shoes she changed her weight to keep her balance.

"It was merely self defense." Jia answered calmly and spread her legs a bit open, but it was under her dress so no one could observe it. She did it to be prepared for something, just to be sure to not bump her head against something.

That pervert using her like a plushie and hitting her head to the wall was already enough.

"Kneel!" the second madam roared but there was no movement from Jia at all, the second madam's face getting crimson from being so furious.

"Are you deaf?! Kneel!" the woman growled and used her strength to push down Jia, the young woman being pushed down on the floor but before her knees could reach the hard floor, she moved her body to support herself and use the concubine's strength to stand up again.

Inha and Minji both saw this, both very surprised while Taeha was simply amazed by everything that happend. She felt terrible inside. Just how many times did her miss had to kneel, even in extreme weathers?!

_'Tang Jia had to go through all this humiliation and torture?' _Jia grew annoyed.

"Are you fighting back?!" the second madam raised his hand and made it touch Jia's right cheek, the loud slapping sound ringing in everyone' ears.

"You have a bad habit of slapping me." Jia said through gritted teeth as she held her burning cheek, tasting some blood in her mouth.

"Don't forget who you are, Tang Jia! You're nothing but useless trash!"

Suan smirked at how Jia got slapped, feeling immense pleasure from seeing that person suffer.

"Aah... Is this how you treated me before? I must have been truely too weak to fight back, isn't it?" Jia scoffed as she swallowed the iron tasting blood in her mouth.

_'Tang Jia, is it that you were tortured to death by these people? How did you even survive for so long under such circumstances?'_ Jia couldn't help but think as she imagined the body she was using being used as a punching bag.

"If you're not useless then what is it that you are?! Your mother passed away because of you, you can't even get your husband to come with you to visit!"

Jia narrowed her eyes, a sneer escaping her.

"I wouldn't even be surprised if it was you that made her disappear from this world." Jia said darkly, startling the second madam, her eyes quickly avoiding Jia's glare. "And besides, is it that bad to not have him accompany me? Why? Are you planning to bully me and him together?" Jia scoffed as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "His highness isn't having so much free time like you."

"Watch your mouth, you filthy wench!" Yein growl, outraged at how she dared to speak to her mother.

"Tang Yein! You are really bold!" Jia finally spoke loud enough to make everyone freeze in their actions. Yein was taken aback by Jia's fierce eyes and words.

"What are you saying?" Yein fussed. "Come, hold her down!" she ordered. A few servants quickly moved and ran towards Jia, taking her arms and shoulders to keep her in place so that she couldn't move.

_'Hah! Is this supposed to make me unable to move? Amateurs. I am Lee Jia! Even gang members aren't making me feel scared when they held me like this in the past.'_

Jia pretended that their actions had an effect on her and didn't trash around.

"Tang Jia, you really got some nerve." she hissed, her hands opening at her left side. "Give me the wooden stick." Yein's personal maid handed over a wooden stick, long enough like a baseball bat.

"Miss!" Inha was really starting to lose her temper. How could they treat her misstress like this? She was about to do something when the stick was going to hit Jia.

Swiftly Jia raised her leg and kicked the stick away, the wooden stick rolling away in the main hall. While Yein was shocked by this entire this happening, Jia took her time to twirl her body and pull the servants holding her, shaking them off like they were merely ants. Jia clicked her tongue as she shook her hair, the hairpins in her hair daggling and clanging together.

"You bitch!" Yein growled, raising her hand to hit Jia but the latter one was much quicker than the courtyard raised second daughter. Easily Jia held Yein's hand, her free hand as fast as thunder, striking for Yein's face.

"Aaah!" Yein cried out in pain as her cheek started to swell up, turning scarlet.

"Ta-Tang Jia! You're rebelling now, are you?!" the second madam roared, almost fainting from anger.

Jia huffed and looked at Suan who was looking with her mouth wide open at what happend, completely speecheless. She was after all still a young girl so she wasn't used to this, not to say that she was normally the one to make it hard for Jia.

"Tang Yein, I'm warning you. I'm warning everyone in this room." Jia spoke, her voice so strong and stable that everyone listened deadfully to the continuation of her words. "You better realize that I am fully aware of who I am and my position."

The young woman looked with cold eyes at Yein who was holding back the tears in her eyes, feeling the stinging pain in her cheek getting worse.

"I will remind you all again. I am Tang Jia, the legitimate first daughter of this Tang family, which means that I'm someone who deserves a better treatment than these two who are my juniors. Is it that you have never learned how to respect those who are above you and older? How were you raised?" Jia scoffed as she looked at the two daughters who grew red from anger, feeling utterly humiliated.

"There might be a second madam in this place now but clearly she's from a low status as she was but a concubine who didn't even got married into the estate but was brought in through the side gates." 

The second madam felt the back of her head throbbing in pain as she listened to Jia's words, wanting to strangle her and feed her to the dogs.

"Now that I am the first wife of his highness third prince Jin, I am superior to you all!" 

"I am the future crown princess! How dare you spat these things here?!" Yein scoffed.

"Are you already married? You're not and if I'm correct, the crown prince used to be the man I had to marry. I don't know what you all schemed behind me, I don't even care now. But I am married to an imperial prince right now. What right do you have to question me and treat me like this?" Jia asked, her voice calm and collected, making her look all the more scarier.

Jia's three maids looked at their misstress in awe, not having suspected that she could look so eerily beautiful while scolding her family.

"What's the meaning of this?" a low and stern voice asked, everyone turning their heads to look at the entrance of the main hall, the vice prime minister strolling inside, next to him no one other than the third and fourth prince!

"Master, you have to take care of the oldest miss." she complained, tears rolling down her cheeks as to she was the one being bullied and tortured. The vice prime minister's face darkened as he swept a look through the main hall, finding Suan trembling slightly, Yein's cheek crimson red and Jia looking completely indifferent. He cleared his throat and pushed the second madam gently away before whispering in her ear.

"Be good, the third and fourth prince are here."

The second madam hummed, obediently listening to the vice prime minister as she looked at Jia, shooting daggers with those eyes of hers.

Everyone greeted each other, Jia doing it carelessly, not in the mood to be interrupted. Jin looked at her before he glanced at her two younger sisters and their mother, his eyes as frosty as always.

"What happend?" the vice prime minister asked as he looked at Jia who pressed her lips together. The fourth prince stole a glance at her before looking at Yein and helping her stand closer to him. Jia awkwardly stood there alone, Jin not even making any move to stand next to her but this didn't bother the young woman as she was still feeling bad.

"Jia wasn't happy and suddenly slapped Yein. Look at my daughter's face. Everyone nkows that a woman's face is very important!"

The fourth prince looked at his fiancee's cheek, seeing the redness.

"Reporting, it was miss' younger sister who first slapped her." Inha spoke as she bowed her head and reported to the third prince Jin. The second madam gnashed her teeth as she glared at the maid, finally noticing that these two maids besides Taeha weren't the maids she had sent over as dowry maids.

"Yein, is this true?" the vice prime minister asked.

"Father, I'm really feeling wronged. I accidentally touched elder sister's face when trying to apologize." Yein spoke, her facial expression showing everyone that she was the victim. Jia scoffed softly as she fixed her hairpins that got twirled together.

"Jia, as the older sister, you need to know not to bully your younger siblings." the vice prime minister spoke harshly, his heart hurting to see his second daughter almost cry out those precious tears.

"I don't know if you're blind or stupid." Jia spoke. "Is it possibly for you to not know what even happend in your own house?"

Jia's words made the vice prime minister's face fall and the second madam have cold sweat.

"What are you implying?" Jia's father asked seriously.

"Think about it." Jia simply said, a small smile appearing on her lips as she walked towards her husband. Jin was standing next to his younger brother so first he was a bit suspicious but Jia stopped right in front of him, making this husband seeing her swollen cheek as well.

"Who made it possible to have you get slapped?" he asked, those direct words making he Tang family's head lose face.

"Just some servants." Jia answered with a shrug, touching her sensitive cheek gently with those slender fingers of hers.

"This household has some really special servants. They not only dare to seduce their misstress' husband but also made you get slapped?" Jin asked, his icy voice sounding like a threat to the entire Tang household.

"Brother, there must be a misundestanding here." the fourth prince finally spoke up, glancing at Jia who was too busy to get out of this situation to look at him. Jin looked at the fourth prince and scoffed.

"Taehyung, if it wasn't for Jia's kindness to marry them off to servants, those three dowry maids from the Tang family would have already be headless, their bodies being eaten by street dogs, gnawing on their bloody bones." Jin spoke, his words making Yein and Suan feel sick in their stomach.

Truely, this general prince was like a monster, his seemingly cold words like knifes being thrown around. The fourth prince, Taehyung frowned lightly at his brother's words.

"How did you serve your misstress in this situation?!" Jin said loud enough for Jia's three maids to hear. The three servant girls quickly kneeled on the ground, asking for forgiveness.

"Please forgive us, your highness. We will receive any punishment." Minji aplogized, her forehead touching the floor. Yein was frightened by how overbearing the third prince was, not caring at all how he looked in front of his in-laws.

"I settle with you three when we're back in the estate." Jin announced before looking back at Jia who looked straightly back to him. "We're going back. We don't have so much leisure time to spend in such a messy place." he spoke ruthlessly and started to walk out of the main hall.

"Your highness!" the vice prime minister called, wanting to apologize but Jin had no ears for him.

"Then I will be taking my leave." Jia spoke just as cold and walked away with her three maids. Right at this moment, the second madam fainted, the main hall getting chaotic again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5th chapter of Solitary Narcissus!  
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Look forward for more ~


	6. Autumn Rain

The carriage swayed left and right as the strong horse pulled the wooden carriage towards the third prince's estate. Because Jia and Jin were now sitting in one carriage while the servants were sitting outside the carriage, there was a silence embracing the two people inside.

Jin was sitting on the cushioned sitting place, his back leaning against a wall. He had his eyes closed, arms crossed together on his chest and his legs stretching straight out in front of him with his beautiful dark blue robe complimenting those long legs of his.

Jia was sitting across him, her legs crossed together while she stared into nothingness, with her thoughts somewhere else.

_'That husband didn't even love his first daughter? Just what is this situation?' _Jia wondered to herself, deep into thoughts how a family could be so chaotic as the Tang family. But then she remembered that she wasn't in her own world and even in her modern world there were families like this. Yet because she never went through it first hand, she didn't know that it could give her such a disturbing feeling in her heart.

_'That mas was obviously spoiling that concubine a lot, he was furious when he saw Yein's face. Then what about mine? He can't be blind, right?!' _Jia scratched the palm of her hand while thinking.

_'What about Tang Jia's mother? Was it just an arranged marriage? _ _But then again... Isn't it usually like this in stories? The first wife is there as decoration while it's the concubines who are truely loved and pampered by their husbands?'_

Jin fluttered his eyes open, looking at Jia who was sitting there dazed, her eyebrows knitted together in a frown. He took this chance to observe her, his dark orbs plastered on her.

Jia's face had back that rosy color and she definitely gained some weight, looking much healthier than the first day he saw her. Her white complexion wasn't sick pale either. Her eyes were bright, glimmering with a strength he thought he would never find with her, accompanied with fine eyebrows and rosy lips.

Because he didn't see her for a few days, he was pleasantly surprised by how good she looked with other clothes and the right make-up and jewelry, it was like she changed into a different person.

"I don't feel good with you staring at me like this." Jia suddenly spoke, her eyes looking away from Jin.

Though she was lost in thoughts, she felt someone looking at her, automatically she retreated from her mind and scanned her surroundings through the corners of her eyes. Jin raised his dark eyebrow, his lips tugging up in a small smirk before it disappeared like it never even happend.

"You're my wife, you should be happy I'm looking at you." Jin spoke flatly, not even one bit of emotion in his words, making Jia feeling a shiver going down her spine.

_'Just what's up with this dude?' _Jia grumbled in her head, not understanding him.

"Since I'm your wife, you should be happy that I'm being honest about my feelings about you." Jia retorted, touching her long locks.

"What? Are you perhaps not satisfied with me being your husband?" Jin asked, raising an eyebrow while Jia looked at him with narrowed eyes.

_'What kind of question is this supposed to be? You tried to kill me on our wedding night!'_

"I think I should ask you this question. Are you perhaps not content with me being your wife?" Jia asked back, leaning her back against the carriage wall, her legs still crossed.

If this was the modern days, she would have been wearing her skinny jeans, a leather jacket and look pretty domineering yet now she looked more like a woman throwing a tantrum with her get-up. Jin scoffed, shaking his head lightly.

"You should know better, is it not? Why ask me a question like this? Is it that you want me to tell you I like someone like you to be tied to me?"

_'Eh...? What does he mean with this? It's like his words contains other words.'_

"I don't get you." Jia started, looking at into those brown eyes of him. "One time you're all murderous, another time you ignore me and now you spoke for me at the Tang's estate. Can't you choose one thing and stick with it? It's making me confused." the young woman said honestly, not in the least embarassed about asking such things from the person that should be her husband.

The third prince raised his eyebrows as he silently looked at her. The murderous intent he used to have during their wedding night was completely gone but that icy aura was still surrounding him, making other people having difficulty to breath comfortably.

"It is me saving my face." Jin scoffed. "Where are they putting me if they slap you?" he answered, his voice slow and emotionless. "And we have agreed to keep acting, remember?"

_'Can't you just admit that you were a bit worried about me?' _Jia sighed mentally.

"Then I will thank you for saving your own face." Jia said, rolling her eyes but Jin saw this, her reaction getting on his nerves. How could she be so calm in front of him? And not only was she very calm, but also pretend like nothing happend?

Jin's face grew darker as he looked at the woman in front of her, the way she was dressed making him get a foreign feeling that was tugging at his heart and mind.

"I want a reward." he suddenly blurted.

Jia raised an eyebrow, looking at the third prince who concealed his own surprise of letting those words slip out.

"You want a reward?" Jia asked, speaking each word clearly and in a slow pace so that he could hear each one of them. Jin hummed, nodding once with his head.

_'What are you? A kid that's proud of cleaning the classroom or something? What do you want? Should I give you a candy? A compliment? A shoulder pat?'_

Jia's head was filled with stupid ways to reward this weird prince but she didn't expect him to suddenly move his body towards her, his face nearing hers swiftly. His eyes were looking directly into hers, his face decreasing the distance between them.

Jia was about to push him away when his hands held her shoulders, his lips touching hers. The young woman's heart skipped a beat as this happend while she was screaming internally.

_'What is this guy doing? Why is he kissing me?! The rewards I had in mind did not include my lips!'_

It was only the lips touching and when Jia thought he was done pecking he would retreat but who knew that he suddenly started to move those plump lips of his? Jia could feel it perfectly how those plump and warm lips tugged on hers, sucking and even the little bites were presented to her.

_'You think you can win me with kissing? You thought wrong! Let's see if you dare to force on me again." Jia thought determined, moving her lips to kiss him back._

Jin was surprised by how she responded, those soft lips of hers molding together with his, biting his bottom lip teasingly as she kissed him back. Jia had her eyes closed and Jin slowly closed his as well as their lips were meeting each other, not in the least bit shy.

The young woman scoffed in her head, opening her mouth slightly to make the kissing even more intense. Jin saw this as an invite and was planning to suck on her entire bottom lip when Jia intruded his mouth with her tongue. The general prince was shocked, his eyes snapping open as he looked with astonisment at her.

This wife of him wasn't shy at all, deep kissing him to her heart's content. There was no way she was this easy! He wanted to kiss? She'll show him what's kissing!

Jin quickly pushed her away, his eyes studying this Tang Jia. The other party was trying to catch her breath, cheeks not even pink or red from embarassment or shyness!

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a bit husky, his long hair covering his red ears.

Though he tried to keep calm, the usual coldness he possessed was like snow for the sun, having disappeared.

"Then what are you doing? What did you expect when you forced your lips on mine?" Jia shot back, using her sleeve to wipe her lips, the pink color she used having smudged on the fabric a little.

Jin was speechless. What did he indeed expect from this? Why did he even suggest to get a reward and decide to kiss her? Jin tried to calm down his furiously beating heart and leaned back against the carriage wall, his eyes never having left the woman sitting in front of him.

It was just... When he saw the fourth prince's eyes were looking at her and Jia looking back at him made him feel uneasy.

"You're my wife, it-" Jin was about to explain his actions when Jia held up a hand to stop him from talking more.

"Look here, your highness. We're husband and wife. I asked you what this meant to you but you never gave me a straight answer, leaving me blindly guess your thoughts and plans. If it's like this, I'm only following your lead." Jia spoke, her hands disappearing into her long sleeves, balling up into loose fists.

"I really don't get you." Jin sighed, making Jia roll her eyes again.

"My words exactly." Jia countered.

The third prince shook his head lightly and closed his eyes again, continuing to rest so that he could ignore the existence of his wife in the same carriage.

"Next time, at least give me a warning. Or else I'll just bite till you bleed." Jia threatened and looked away, not wanting to give more attention to this weird husband of hers. Jin shifted his body and responded her with silence.

It's been two weeks since Jia arrived in Thousand River Country. In these two weeks she didn't see Jin much, it's like he was always in his own room, not bothered by the outside world.

Jia was sitting under a pavillion in one of the gardens of the estate, the water around her beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. On the table in front of her were plates filled with small snacks and a cup with flower tea.

"Young miss, the things you bought have arrived." Taeha announced when she walked into the pavillion, her hands holding a box wrapped with a green colored fabric. The young maid carefully unwrapped it and opened the box.

Jia smiled as her hands took the music instrument that was inside it. In the young woman's hand was a beautiful porcelain flute, the white instrument was painted with blue peonies and a red tassel hung on the end. 

"The flute truly is beautiful." Taeha smiled, dazed by how pretty a flute could be. The young woman hummed in agreement as she carefully touched the music instrument, the cold porcelain making her fingers like the touch and temperature.

"Does miss know how to play the flute?" Minji asked, her doe eyes looking at Jia.

"Not that good." Jia confessed.

Though she did attend music lessons, she didn't do it for long. Her sister was better at it than her, almost on professional level. Besides, though she couldn't play well enough to be able to participate in an orchestra, she did like it for the short time she did it.

Taeha couldn't remember her misstress having learned playing a music instrument. After all, because of being bullied in that Tang household, they didn't teach her anything! It was all so that she really would become an idiot, an useless woman who no one wanted.

Who knew that Taeha's mother taught her reading and writing, searching for thrown away books to give her to read and feed her knowledge. Yet besides that she really could remember of Jia having learned music! She had already discovered that this misstress of hers had changed. It was those few days before she married into the third prince's estate! 

Though suspicious, she knew her place and continued to serve her like usual. She wanted to believe that after all that suffering, Jia decided to become stronger and stand up for herself.

"Let me try." Jia said a bit shy, holding the flute horizontally so that it was on the left side of her head, her long fingers covering the holes. She took a deep breath before slowly blowing out the air, her slender fingers moving gentle and elegantly over the flute as a clear and pretty melody filled the garden.

The three maids looked at Jia as she blew out the notes from the porcelain flute. It was like they were in a dream, the autumn wind bringing a warm and cozy feeling.

Jin had his hands on his back as he strolled through his estate, Yoongi following him with a straight back.

It was then that he suddenly heard the sound of a flute playing an unknown melody from somewhere. He didn't know that there was a person that could play the flute besides him so he followed the sound till he arrived in one of the estate's gardens.

His eyes immediately landed on Jia who was gently playing a melody.

"Seems like her highness is talented in playing the flute." Yoongi remarked, earning a scoff from Jin.

"This is only the basics."

Yoongi's lips curled up in a almost invisible smile.

"Your highness, not everyone is a music genius like you." he teased playfully, earning another scoff from the third prince.

"We're leaving." he said, flicked his sleeves and left the entrance of the garden, getting futher away from the flute music. With his long legs he disappeared quickly, going on his way back to his own courtyard, dropping his body on a cushioned chair once back in his bookroom. A maid saw him sitting there, and quickly steeped some black tea for high highness.

Yoongi stopped in front of him, a desk between the two young men.

"It's been two weeks, it's time to visit the palace." Yoongi spoke, Jin's eyebrows frowning together when he heard those words.

"Jia will go alone." he grumbled, making Yoongi sigh inwardly.

"Your highness, she can't go alone to the palace."

"What is there to be afraid of? The chance of her being send from the palace is big. Why else would the emperor have an imperial edict to have me give the first wife title to her?" Jin said, his fingers clasping together as he leaned on the cushion.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to show the outside world that everything is smooth between you two?" Yoongi asked, slightly confused.

Jin hummed as he nodded. Yoongi was right, he really should do that. Because of the bodyguard's words, Jin couldn't help but think back to the day in the carriage and Jia's words of what they were. A real couple or only in name?

"Go to Azure Cloud Residence and tell her that we're entering the palace tomorrow." Jin sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and waved his hand to have Yoongi retreat from the bookroom.

"Five, six, seven, eight." Jia counted as she did air ropeskipping, her usual dresses being replaced by easy to move clothes.

_'Though I learned fighting, it's probably nothing compared to martial arts, right? should I...start to learn some moves?'_ Jia thought as she stretched her body and started to twirl her body and kick her legs in the air, each time higher than the one before.

Her knowlegde of self defense was taught by her family and her experience from real fights. Though it was practical and she did know what to do, it was nothing like martial arts.

"Inha, can you throw the bag of rice in the air?" Jia asked, the maid quickly throwing a selfmade bag that was filled with raw rice. Jia smiled as she kicked the falling bag back into the air, her movements like a dancing flower as she tried to not have the bag fall on the ground using each part of her body.

When Yoongi arrived and saw this he pressed his lips together and observed the movements with big curiosity and interest. Though he didn't like this woman, he didn't dislike her either. It was pretty neutral which made him appreciate her body movements while keeping the bag in the air.

But this made him only the more suspicious. How can a woman that was raised in a courtyard know how to do martial arts? Though it looked different from the martial arts he was used to, the basic was practically the same with having great balance and flexibility of the body.

While knowing how to do these, she can't be just a simple daughter of a rich family. Just what is her purpose of being in the third prince's estate?

The young woman had already seen Yoongi appear and stand there to look when she moved around but she didn't speak and only used the back of her hand to push the bag high enough for her to gather some strength in her leg and kick the rice bag towards the dark clothes guard. Yoongi was surprised and quickly moved his body to the right to dodge it hitting him.

_'W-what great power!'_ Yoongi couldn't help but think, his hair moving from the strength used, the speed fast.

_'This body is really becoming like my real body. Gotta keep training to have it build up.'_ Jia thought happily as she evened her breathing and stretched her body while walking towards Yoongi.

"Yoongi, right?" she asked as she looked at the pretty face in front of her. The young man nodded and cleared his throat before bowing his head and paid his respect to her.

"His highness has send me to convey a message." Yoongi spoke while Minji gave Jia a cup of water to drink and Taeha handed over a cotton towel.

"Shoot." Jia smiled, making Yoongi raise an eyebrow.

"Ahem... According to customs, the palace has to be visited as well after marrying a royal. His highness decided to go tomorrow. Is there anything that I should prepare for you?" 

Jia tilted her head to to side, forcing her annoyance back.

_'Visit the palace?! Wasn't the Tang Estate already enough?'_

"What is there to prepare? I don't know much about these." Jia said honestly, looking with her clear eyes at Yoongi. The bodyguard held his serious face and glanced at Inha who had walked towards them with a robe to make sure her misstress wouldn't catch a cold after sweating and standing in the autumn wind.

"Don't worry, miss. We have formal dresses that can be worn in the palace." Inha spoke, draping the large outer robe gently over Jia's shoulders.

"Alright... When are we leaving?" Jia asked Yoongi.

"Around noon."

Jia nodded curtly before observing the guard. Yoongi felt her stares and felt a bit uncomfortable while being looked and checked out like this.

_'Is he the person that has been eyeing me?'_

"Understood. Thank you for telling me." Jia smiled, making Yoongi nod and leave her courtyard quietly.

"Young miss, it looks like it will rain, why don't we go inside. I'll prepare a bath for you." Taeha spoke as she looked at the sky, dark clouds forming above them. Jia hummed and followed the young maid to her bed chamber.

It didn't take too long for rain to fall, water drops falling down on the stones of the Azure cloud Residence. It gave Jia a melancholic feeling yet the scent of fresh rain calmed her mind as well. Her bath didn't take too long, finally dressed in a comfortable dress as she sat on a divan next to the windows, eyes looking outside.

"Young miss, please don't sit next to the window for too long. It's autumn already, it's easy to catch a cold like this right after a bath." Taeha reminded Jia who simply hummed.

"Taeha is right, otherwise the bitter medicines will become more bitter if they change." Minji nodded her head, earning a chuckle from her misstress.

Jia sighed softly as she looked at the raindrops falling.

"Is miss troubled by something?" Minji asked, noticing the small frown Jia was wearing.

"Thinking of another world." Jia answered, pulling up her knees before letting her chin rest on them.

"Another world?" Taeha wondered out loud. Jia smiled, still finding it unbelievable that she ended up in this place, time trickling by.

"A place with high buildings touching for the sky, a place with faster communication than letters, somewhere that have machines help people work, a place with my family and friends..." Jia spoke, her last words so soft that three maids didn't hear them.

The young woman was obviously missing her real home. Sure she had been quite independent but that didn't mean she didn't like having those people around her.

_'I should just treat this like an exchange program, I'm an exchange student.' _Jia tried to comfort herself, she sky outside getting darker and darker as the rain kept ouring down.

"Miss' imagination is great." Inha spoke. "Who knows if the things miss said will be invented in the future." she said positively, Jia chuckling and nodding her head as she pulled her gaze away from the sky.

"It will." she said and removed herself from the sidan to sit on one of the wooden stools around the round table near her bed.

"Why don't we eat?" she asked, Minji quickly nodding and leaving with Taeha to prepare dinner. Inha stayed behind to help Jia comb her hair and put it up in a bun so that her locks wouldn't fall in front of her face and get dirty while eating later.

-

The empress dowager looked at the women present in her residence, all of them dressed in beautiful colored brocade dresses, their long hair accessorised with numerous hairpins, fingers wearing rings and bangles hanging around their wrists.

Of course they should be dressed prettily, living in the palace was like an endless competition between the women.

The empress dowager, a woman around her end sixties, held a beautiful painted porcelain tea cup in her hands, the scent of osmanthus tea filling her nostrils. Besides her and the empress, the group consisted of consorts and their palace maids, all ready to serve them.

"Empress dowager, is there something troubling you?" the empress asked, looking at the old woman.

"I am thinking of this woman who married Jin." the old woman spoke, the chatter of the consorts decreasing till there was only silence in the room.

"Does empress dowager mean the first daughter of the Tang family?" imperial consort Ryu asked. Imperial consort Ryu was a beautiful women, very loved by the emperor and the mother of the fourth prince, Taehyung.

"Hmm." the empress dowager hummed as she nodded her head slowly, not able to move her head too fast as the headpieces on her hair made it heavy and hard to control.

"Has she not visited empress dowager yet?" consort Ryu asked, knowing very well that she didn't.

"Imperial consort Ryu, was this Tang Jia not supposed to marry your son?" one of the many consorts asked, imperial consort Ryu's eyes turning cold yet her lips still curled up in a sweet smile.

"I can only say that the heavens did not agree with these two youngsters becoming a married couple. His majesty the emperor must have thought this too and changed their wedding partners." imperial consort Ryu spoke, her voice soft and calm.

But who didn't know in this room? Imperial consort Ryu was one of the most beloved women of the emperor. Whatever she said, could the emperor not listen to her and not try to pamper her?

"It is prince Jin's fortune to have married a women chosen by his majesty the emperor." Consort Yue spoke, a woman with long eyebrows, thin lips and a warm look in her eyes. This imperial consort Yue was no one else but the birth mother of Jin.

"It truely is his fortune." imperial consort Ryu smiled while the empress dowager cleared her throat, quickly taking a sip from her flower tea.

"Do not worry, I'm sure that she will come to the palace for a visit." the empress quickly spoke, her lips tugging up as she quickly ordered a maid to prepare some sweets to eat and share with the other women.

Imperial consort Ryu and imperial consort Yue both looked at each other before turning their heads away from each other and chatting again with the women besides them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, this is the 6th chapter :D  
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and look forward for more ~


	7. Preparation To Enter The Palace

***Flashback/dream***

"Lena!" Jia called for her younger sister that was concentrating on painting the scenery in front of her, a beautiful lake embraced by mountains and trees.

"What?" she asked absentminded, her right hand holding a brush, gently bringing color on the canvas.

"You've been sitting here for hours already!" Jia complained, looking around her as she breathed in the mountain air, the nature giving her a calming feeling that was different from the busy city. Jia's younger sister's lips tugged up into a smile while tilting her head to the side, trying to paint each detail she observed with her eyes.

"Go find the others." she muttered, each stroke of paint creating a beautiful tree bark.

"They went to the supermarket." Jia sighed, finding it boring now that her phone had been taken away by her mother. With perfect timing someone suddenly walked towards the two girls, a smile on his lips.

"Grand uncle Jinki!" Jia beamed, skipping towards him in the hope of him having a way to pass time quicker.

"What is it? Are you not enjoying your vacation?" Jinki chuckled amused, patting the girl's head lightly as he sat down on a chair.

"With vacation I was expecting a citytrip or maybe go on a nice healing vacation at the beach, not being stuck in the mountains and having my phone taken away." Jia grumbled, her pout making Jinki laugh heartily.

"It's a healing vacation in the mountains. You don't have such good air in the city." the old man grinned while glancing at Lena busily painting. "Your younger sister seems to enjoy it."

Jia's eyes dropped, shaking her head lightly.

"But Lena's suiting this kind of vacation. What am I supposed to do here when not everyone has arrived yet?" she asked.

This young Jia was too impatient to wait for the other family members and their friends to arrive. Her uncle and cousins went with her parents to the supermarket, leaving only her and Lena behind with grand uncle Jonghyun who was too busy sleeping on the couch.

"Since there is no one yet and we have such nice weather and a good scenery as backyard, why don't we move our bodies a bit?" Jinki said with bright eyes, taking off the shirt he was wearing, his black tank top being the only thing wrapped around his torso.

Though Jinki might be Jia's grand uncle and more than triple her age, anyone could see how good Jinki's body was, well muscled and healthy.

"You can hardly call this a backyard, it's more of an entire mountain." Jia scoffed in disbelief at how her grand uncle described things.

"It's the same, the same. Now... Let's spar." Jinki grinned, taking the initiative to move his right arm. Jia quickly dodged his fist and pushed his arm away while bending her waist and charging for him with her elbow, the old man easily avoiding being hit. Lena heard the noise behind her and turned her head to see what the two were doing before her eyes smiled.

"They're sparring again. Guess Jia will get stronger again." Lena chuckled before turning her head back to her canvas and busying herself with the painting, her ears turning deaf to the thudding sounds of flying fists and high kicks.

"Lee Jinki! What do you think you're doing?!" 

Jia froze, her eyes widening while Jinki quickly tried to dodge a kick going for his waist.

"Aaah, you'll hurt me." he complained, never losing that warm smile of his.

"This is a vacation, we're not here to have you do trainings with my granddaughter!" Jia's grandmother spoke gravely, looking at the old man with stern eyes.

"Grandmom! It's fine!" Jia tried but her grandmother quickly shook her head and threw a bag of bread to her. Swiftly Jia caught the bag and looked at it with a puzzled look.

"Go help your cousins to give the food a place in the kitchen, your uncles are almost here. And wake up that sleeping thing on the couch." she complained while going back into the enormous vacation house behind her.

"Grandmom is always so broody." Jia complained, forcing herself to walk towards the kitchen.

"Lee Jia ah, Lee Jia... You definitely are a grandchild of hers, both so stubborn, savage and quite the temper." Jinki laughed as he shook his head, strolling towards Lena to look at the painting.

***End dream/flashback***

Jia's eyes slowly opened, a low grumble escaping her throat as she turned her body to lay on her side. It took her awhile for her to force those eyelids open, her beautiful brown orbs staring at the closed bed curtains that created her bed an own space.

"A dream?" she muttered droggy and pushed her body up with the help of hands, those long locks of black hair like silk flowing down her shoulders.

"Young miss, have you woken up?" a voice asked, Jia quickly recognizing it as Taeha's, soft and warm. The young woman grumbled something incoherent before the bed curtains were opened, Taeha easily putting them up with silver hooks so that Jia could easily get out of bed. Minji strolled into the bedchamber, her hand holding a basin with lukewarm water, a cotton towel draped over her right arm.

"It's almost noon already. Miss sure likes to sleep." Minji chuckled amused while placing the basin on a wooden table near the bed, gently laying the cotton towel into Jia's hands. She yawned and stretched her arms high up in the air while grasping on the towel.

"Almost noon? Aren't we supposed to go to the palace today?" Jia asked when she suddenly heard someone announcing Jin's arrival.

She couldn't even properly register him visiting her bedroom when the doors already had been pushed open, Jin strolling inside with one hand on his back, Yoongi following him silently. The latter one discovered that Jia was still in her pyjamas, quickly turning his head away.

The young woman wouldn't mind it anyways, it wasn't like she was wearing anything daring. Guess people in this place just were really old fashioned. Yet Jia did grab the quilt and covered her body after combing her long hair with those slender fingers of hers.

"Greeting your highness." Jia said, her voice still raspy from just waking up. Taeha quickly poured some hot water and gave it to her misstress, Jia taking a sip from it to ease her throat. Jin looked at the woman that had just woken up, not even taking action to try and make herself presentable for him, simply sitting there on the bed while looking back at him after taking that sip of water.

"Did you just wake up?" Jin asked, his voice cold and distatched.

Jia nodded her head, softly yawning.

"Prepare her to enter the palace." Jin spoke and invited himself to sit down on a stool while Yoongi was waved out of the room by the third prince.

"You're going to stay here?" Jia asked, an eyebrow raising.

"You have a problem with that?" Jin asked back, taking a sip of water after pouring himself in a beautiful porcelain cup, painted with bright colors.

_'Don't you think you're going a bit too far? Just what is this guy even thinking in his head? Planing to assasinate me on the wedding night and now being a creepy stalker in my room?!'_

"Young miss, shall I prepare a room divider so that you can change?" Taeha asked carefully when Jia was done washing her face. Jia shook her head and stood up, having seen that Jin was sitting with his back at her.

_'It's not like he'll suddenly turn his head, isn't it?' _Jia thought while untying the knots of her pyjamas.

"Inha, Minji, can you two help me dress? Taeha, prepare the jewelries for me, thank you." Jia spoke softly while the feline eyed maid helped Jia wearing each layer, Minji assisting her. Jin could hear the rustling and sighs behind him but closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift away.

"Miss, does it fit well?" Minji asked, tying one last ribbon, securing the entire outfit.

"It's heavy." Jia complained but still she nodded her head, Inha leading her towards the dressing table, Taeha quickly picking up a comb and letting it go through her silk like hair.

"Young miss' hear has such a beautiful shine now." Taeha said with a smile, liking that the health of her misstress was gradually increasing positively.

"Must be the medicines." Minji chuckled amused while Jia gasped silently, her eyes wide open before quickly narrowing.

"Don't mention those horrible bowls of death liquid!" Jia complained with all her facial expressions. "They were horribly bitter and disgusting to swallow." 

"The more bitter, the better the medicine, miss." Minji explained, bringing a silver bangle on her wrist.

"Minji, take the golden bracelet as well." Inha reminded her fellow maid, knowing that they were entering the palace today. While buying jewelries, Jia didn't buy any jade ones, so they could only let her wear the yellow metal bracelets.

Minji hummed, gently took Jia's hand and slipped on a golden bangle before putting a ring on her misstress' middle finger. Taeha bussily braided the sides of her hair, the long braids and loose strans hair being pulled up into a half updo and buns so that the hairpins could be easily inserted and secured.

"Not too many." Jia reminded the maids doing her hair, Taeha quickly letting out a confirming hum.

"Yes, young miss." Taeha answered, placing one last hairpin in her hair, the golden hairpin's end beautifully decorated with plum blossoms and gem stones that even shone without light on them. From the flowers fell golden tassels, so that with each step Jia will take, they would move along.

Inha and Minji are both used to the taste of their misstress. Not too extravagant, keeping it simple yet classy. They couldn't help but admit that Jia did have good taste and had a good eye for good things but she didn't like walking around to show them to other people.

"Are you ready yet?" Jin asked, finally opening his eyes and turning his body so that he could stand up and walk towards the wooden dressing table. His eyes looked at Jia's reflection, seeing her put her earrings on herself while her eyes went to his side. The third prince didn't expect that with this dress up Tang Jia didn't look bad at all.

A beautiful pastel purple colored dress was hugging Jia's body, the brocade embroidered with silver plum blossoms, the belt around her waist that was keeping everthing in place had a beautiful jewelry knot tassel hanging down while those black locks of hers complimented her porcelain like skin.

"What is it? Did your highness perhaps have fallen for me now?" Jia teased the prince but quickly pressed her lips together when Jin's frosty eyes glared at her.

"If you're ready, we're leaving now." Jin spoke, Inha quickly draping the woolen coat over Jia's shoulders while tying a ribbon to hold it. Jia grumbled under her breath while following that arrogant prince, Yoongi's eyes widening in surprise when he saw a beautiful woman walking out of Azure Cloud Residence

"You're walking too fast.' Jia complained even though she could keep up with him, not even completely out of breath like the third prince thought.

He knew. Jin heard about her practicing martial arts in her own courtyard when Yoongi went there yesterday. No, he even knew before that because the maids had told him a lot after all and Yoongi did keep an eye on her sometimes.

Yet Yoongi never came in direct contact with Jia to know her skills. The guard obviously told him that Tang Jia wasn't someone simple and that her martial arts skills were not in the slightest ordinary! It was like she had trained for years and that she was merely letting her body get used to the movements again after having fainted.

"How can you be so slow in walking? Use those legs." Jin complained with no facial expression, keeping his head up and his eyes to the front, going straight for the main gates.

"Why don't you try walking in these heels?" Jia grumbled under her breath, not having imagined that she had to wear silken shoes with a heel on them to the palace. She never liked wearing high heels, not even in her past life. They weren't practical for her so she liked to wear sneakers around, different from her younger sister Lena who was more girly in that aspect.

"I'm hungry." Jia sighed to herself while climbing into the prepared carriage. "I can't handle the motion sickness." she whispered in complaint, letting herself lean against a carriage wall and closed her eyes.

"When we're in the palace, we're going to act. You better do your best." Jin said, his voice icely dangerous.

_'Why does he always look like he's going to kill me? What did I even do wrong for him to hate me this much? Well... Maybe he really dislikes me as his wife? Arranged marriages, I guess.'_ Jia tried to comfort her after feeling slightly troubled.

"If you're going to do well, I'll just follow your lead." Jia responded, making Jin's eyebrows knit togther slightly. Her words reminded him of the questions she asked him before, about what their relationship were and that she was simply following his lead.

Trying to throw out these unnecessary thoughts, he closed his eyes and the carriage became still.

_'I should prepare myself mentally, a palace is never a nice place... All the books and drama say so!'_ Jia thought while trying to calm down her accelerating heart. _'I don't have a good feeling about this trip.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter!  
Stay safe everyone ^^


	8. Imperial Palace

When Jia stepped out of the carriage, she couldn't help but feel intimidated and be in awe. The imperial palace was huge, even the gates were massive. She wasn't a poor person, she was used to extravagant things in her past life but never had she been this shocked.

During her high school days she had visited big museums and enormous yet abandoned palaces yet this one wasn't just lively but also demanding one's attention. In front of the gates were two palace guards, standing there with straight backs and a serious expression on their faces.

_'Can't I just go back? This place doesn't look like it will have nice people.'_ Jia sighed in her head, already disliking the trip that hadn't even really started yet. Jin's eyes looked at Jia, taking notice of how her eyes were looking around like she's scanning the place.

"Greeting your highness the third prince." the two guards respectfully bowed their heads when they saw Jin walking to the front. These two guards knew very well who Jin was, their eyes showing fear. Jia noticed this but didn't say anything, noting down that she really shouldn't mess with this third prince too much if even strong guards were scared of him.

The gates were opened after a short while, inviting the married couple and their servants inside. The young woman's hands were balled up into nervous fists inside her long sleeves, her throat feeling dry and her heartbeat accelerating with each step she took inside.

Tall walls on her left and right were painted with beautiful paintings of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, clouds and other things while the tiled roofs looked like they were painted with gold, shining brightly under the sun. Jin took the initiative to walk in front, Jia following him closely with her lips pressed together.

_'I can't do stupid things in this place. I bet in this world, heads will be flying around if something is done wrong!' _Jia panicked in her heart.

_'Why is she so quiet?' _Jin wondered, glancing at the dolled up woman.

It took them awhile to arrive at the main hall of the empress, Jin prefering to not sit on a sedan to get there which made everyone with him suffer in walking a long distance.

"Announcing! High highness the third prince Jin and her highness princess consort Jia arrived!" an eunuch loudly said so that the people inside knew of their arrival. Jia swallowed when a response came.

"Let them come inside."

"Come with me." Jin whispered softly so that only she could hear him, the two walking side on side inside the big hall, the entire space filled with a floral scent.

_'Lee Jia, calm yourself! What are you nervous about? You're used to weird things happening.' _Jia tried to hypnotize herself to calm herself down. The bead curtains moved as they walked through it, entering the place where the empress was sitting.

Jia didn't expect that the empress wasn't alone. The country's mother was actually sitting together with a bunch of other women and an elder, drinking and chatting. Jin took notice of this, eyed at Imperial Consort Yue who is his birth mother before quickly glancing at the empress dowager and the empress.

"This prince greets imperial grandmother, imperial empress, imperial mother and imperial consorts." Jin said, his voice devoid of any emotions yet strong enough to make people know of his difficult personality.

"Tang Jia greets empress dowager, empress, mother-in-law and imperial consorts." Jia quickly followed Jin's greeting, bending her legs while bowing her head to be respectful.

"Rise." the empress dowager spoke before looking at a palace maid. Jia felt the palms of her hands getting sweaty as she straightened her back, suddenly feeling the urge to find safety near Jin.

"We were talking just a few days ago how come you two didn't visit the palace yet." the empress dowager commented leisurely yet both Jin and Jia felt the dissatisfaction in her manner and those judging pair of eyes.

"This one apologizes for worrying empress dowager. It is us we aren't commiting filial piety and have made empress dowager dissapointed." Jia quickly said while bowing her head.

_'I can't get them too angered! What if they suddenly decide to lock me in the palace jails? Then Jin wouldn't even get the chance to kill me himself!'_ Jia was having a mental breakdown, standing in a room full of women from the imperial harem making her feel nervous.

"Do not think too much about my words." the empress dowager smiled lightly, the stern shine in her eyes decreasing. Jia smiled lightly in reponse.

"Don't just stand, quickly sit down." the empress spoke, noticing that silence was starting to immerse in her palace's main hall. A few palace maids added new armchairs, laying soft cushions on them before disappearing like the wind.

Jin moved his robes and sat down after thanking the empress. The young woman followed Jin's movements and words, letting her body drop slowly, sitting on the chair uncomfortably.

"How is married life for the youngsters?" the empress asked, having noticed that the empress dowager wasn't planning to say anything. Jin simply nodded his head curtly which made Jia want to facepalm.

_'Always so vague!'_

"Answering empress, I am trying to adjust myself to married life." Jia answered instead. The imperial consorts in the room were obviously judging silently with their eyes, their lips curled up in smiles that could hide their inner thoughts.

"Is it going well?" Imperial Consort Ryu asked, her eyes smiling sweetly at Jia.

_'Provoking?'_

"If imperial consort means if his highness is taking good care of me then the answer would be yes. His highness is not only attentive but he can not help but look at me for long times." Jia answered while making herself blush lightly, her words making Jin's eyes flicker.

He knew those words were meant for him and that she knew she was being watched. This third prince was not fooled by her pink cheeks.

"Very good. Now that third prince Jin has a wife next to him to assist and serve him, it is truely his fortune." the empress nodded her head satisfied.

_'I can't read their eyes... Is everyone in the palace so good in conceiling their real feelings? Even leisurely chatting seems tiring.' _Jia couldn't help but think, trying to feel the situation. She couldn't take out the people who were nice for real and who only pretended but Imperial Consort Ryu surely wasn't a simple woman, that was something the young woman was sure of!

"Empress dowager, empress, we won't be staying much longer then. We shall retreat and let the family enjoy a good meal." Imperial Consort Ryu spoke, standing up before giving a graceful bend in her knees.

Jia observed this imperial consort, the beauty of this woman was no joke. Her hair was like black silk, decorated with beautiful hairpins and golden tassels, the jewelry on her body being enough to give commoners food for a year at least!

"Very well." the empress dowager spoke and let the numerous women of the imperial harem leave while she stayed put.

"Prepare the dining table." the empress ordered a maid before those brown orbs rested on Jia.

"Have you gotten used to to living in third prince Jin's estate?" she asked curiously now that the women who had no business with this left. Imperial Consort Yue glanced at the empress but kept her lips pressed together, tilted in a small smile.

"Answering empress, time is needed to get used to his highness' estate but it is now my home. All I can do is work hard and serve his highness well." Jia reponded, feeling tired and they weren't even one hour in this place yet.

The empress nodded and glanced at Jin's mother consort.

"Son, you have to take care of Jia so that she can serve you with her everything." Imperial Consort Yue spoke to her son, Jin giving a nod.

"This son has understood."

"Why don't we move to the dining table and have our meal instead of sitting here?" the empress dowager said, her eyes stern and her facial expression even serious. The old woman stood up and with the help of one of her maids, she walked towards another room that was connected to the main hall.

Jia couldn't help but take in a breath and follow the empress dowager together with Jin and the others. When they just sat down, someone suddenly arrived, making the empress raise an eye before smiling sweetly.

"Announcing the arrival of princess Sora." an eunuch loudly announced.

Jia lifted her head and saw a girl walk inside, her dress made of the best silk, beautifully embroidered with flowers and birds that had a lively feeling. Her hair was flowing like a waterfall behind her shoulders, hairpins making a constrast against the dark locks. The girl's face was lightly powdered, her cheeks blushing pink, her lips colored a bright pink.

"Greeting empress dowager, greeting empress, greeting prince Jin and princess consort." a voice as sweet as honey said, gracefully bowing before standing up again.

_'The imperial family can't all have pretty faces, right?!' _Jia couldn't help but think as she looked at the girl, maybe around her fifteen years old.

"Am I disturbing your meal?" she asked, her face turning troubled.

"We have not started yet. Why don't you join us?" the empress smiled, Jin's eyes turning cold. Jia noticed that the air around Jin changed and that those icy eyes were even colder than usual. The young woman couldn't help but observe Sora more.

_'She likes Jin?'_ Jia wondered, noticing the infutuated eyes.

imperial Consort Yue eyed at Jin but the third prince ignored the glance and silently sat there.

"If I am allowed?" Sora asked, the empress dowager gaving a short nod. She happily sat down next to the empress, right across from Jin and Jia. Her eyes travelled to Jia, a conflicted glimmer in her eyes flashing through. She didn't expect that Jin's newly married wife would be sitting there indifferent, her cold face holding a certain degree of beauty.

"Let's eat, let's eat." the empress dowager commented and picked up her chopsticks to start their lunch.

Jia's stomach was growling lightly, complaining that it didn't get any breakfast and that it really should get filled with food soon, and enough! It was only when Jin brought a piece of meat in his mouth, did Jia pick up a piece of shrimp, taking a small bite from it.

The sweet yet savory taste was holding a party in her mouth but she couldn't afford herself to eat like she usually would at the third prince's estate. Inha noticed that her misstress was uncomfortably eating small bites, chewing on the food long enough for it to to feed a baby bird.

Not only her personal maids but even Jin saw the difference in eating. Different than what he saw when she made herself comfortable in his counrtyard the day she woke up after fainting.

"Here, taste this." Jin spoke, his voice soft yet cold enough to bring a shiver down Jia's spine. The third prince picked up a piece of braised beef meatball and placed it inside Jia's bowl. The young woman looked at him, slightly confused but her face showed nothing but a sweet smile.

"Thank you." she said softly back and picked up the meatball to take a bite from it. When she did she was pleasantly surprised by the delicious taste.

_'Did he randomly pick up some food or really recommended me this dish?'_ Jia laughed in her head, finding it somehow cute how different he was when trying to act out being happily married. Who would even see that he was happy anyways, right?

Sora saw this immediately, her smile fading as a pained stab appeared in her heart. She wasn't happy with how Jin treated this wife of his but she couldn't say anything, only forcing back a smile on her lips.

"Third prince Jin must be very satisfied with Jia as his first wife." the empress chuckled amused, having seen how Jin kept placing certain dishes in her bowl while Jia silently ate them. Jia looked at the country's mother, giving her a shy smile.

"Is it that we can expect a grandson for Imperial Consort Yue soon?" she laughed lightly, Jin's muscles tensing while Jia smiled awkwardly.

_'What is this woman saying? Grandkids?! It's already good there is no funeral!'_

"Look, empress made her embarassed." Imperial Consort Yue joked while Sora tightened the grip on her chopsticks, a burning anger inside her boiling up.

"Though not married long yet, it is normal to think of continuing the line." the empress dowager said while nodding her head.

_'We can't really be talking about having kids in this place, right?!'_

"We are working on it." Jin spoke, making Jia almost choke on her food, her foot kicking Jin's leg. This third prince ignored her warning and only glanced at her quietly.

_'Working on it?! Working on what?! This guy can even lie without batting an eye!'_

"How wonderful." consort Yue smiled sweetly.

Sora swallowed the food that was stuck in her mouth, quickly sipping from her flower tea. She wasn't liking this situation and chatting at all! How could they be talking about such things with smiles on their faces?

"Jin has been away for many years, protecting the country. Having a woman besides him and providing him a family is a good thing to happen. Like this Jia wouldn't be alone when Jin has to leave again, is it not?" the empress spoke, having noticed Sora's change in expression.

Jia looked at the empress, letting her words sink in.

_'Leaving? He'll leave me one day for protecting the country? If I remember right, he is a general too... Then war?' _

The young woman was still lost in thought, absentmindly eating her food and before she realized the food was taken away, plates of desserts being placed on the round table. Forcing herself to concentrate, she looked at the bowl of coconut soup, sticky rice balls floating around while a new cup with freshly steeped tea rested next to the bowl.

She touched the tea cup, surprised by the hot temperature, spilling some on her hand. Jia winced in pain but didn't cry out neither did she show it to the people talking, silently retreating her hand and dabbing it dry with her sleeve.

Her eyes were looking down, her hand having turned red from the hot water.

_'Lee Jia, concentrate, why are you even not paying attention?'_ she scolded herself, planning to eat her dessert soup when she noticed the change in color in one of her rings. The silver ring that was decorated with little crystals was coloring black on the edges.

_'It's becoming black?'_ Jia was shocked to find her silver ring changing color. She quickly glanced at the tea as realisation hit her.

"Jia, try the tea." the empress smiled, not having seen what happend before because she was chatting with the empress dowager and Sora. "It is made from fresh picked tea leaves and dried hibiscus."

The young woman felt her heart beating wildly against her chest as she slipped of the ring off her finger under the table, quickly hiding it inside her belt. Jin saw her fumbling her hands, his sharp eyes having noticed the colored silver ring before it was hidden inside her belt.

"If it is recommended by the empress, I definitely have to taste it." Jia spoke like nothing happend and took the tea cup with both hands. Jin was about to say something when Jia suddenly let the tea cup fall, the hot water splashing over her dress. Jia winced in pain and swallowed the scream that wanted to escape her throat.

"I.. I... I apologize!" Jia quickly said, her hands quivering while her dress was smoking from the hot water. The young woman's eyes were watery as she kept apologizing, Jin's hands quickly taking a handkerchief to dab away the hot water on her dress, picking it up slightly so that it wouldn't touch her skin.

_'Woah, good thing I opened my legs before letting it splash! And luckily this dress has so many layers!' _Jia sighed to herself, only a bit of warm water having touched her legs.

"Jia, are you alright?" Jin asked, showing concern as he searched for the woman's eyes.

"I apologize. I was surprised by the temperature, I didn't think I didn't held it well enough." she kept saying things, not giving other people to say something.

"What are you apologizing for? How are your legs?"

"They hurt." Jia said, a tear escaping her eyes, rolling perfectly down her cheek to show everyone. Sora was surprised to find Jin acting like this, not having expected him to show such worry to a woman. She bitterly looked at Jin looking at Jia and using his hand to wipe away her tear.

"Summon an imperial physician!" the empress said loudly but Jin stood up and shook his head.

"I apologize but we're going back to the estate. I'll have a doctor look at her when we have returned."

"Third prince Jin, this might not be good. If she is burned, then what will happen to her?" the empress gasped.

"It is alright, even if she is scarred, she's still my wife." Jin frostilly responded, picked up Jia in his arms before storming out of the main hall. Jia, completely taken back by his reaction, let herself being carried away.

_'What? What? Can we just leave like that?!'_

"Mother, you saw brother's wife?" the fourth prince asked, his eyes looking at Imperial Consort Ryu.

The beautiful woman nodded her head, taking a sip from the white tea in her porcelain cup, beautifully decorated with painted lotus flowers. Though Taehyung's eyes were flashing something unreadable.

"She is quite the beauty now isn't she?" Imperial Consort Ryu smiled lightly before letting it disappear like snow for the sun.

"Mother, what are you thinking." the fourth prince asked, his heart feeling stuffy and unsure. The imperial consort shook her head while taking a dried persimmon in her hand.

"Do not worry about my thoughts. You should think more about your upcoming wedding with Tang Yein."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! Please leave behind a comment, thank you ^^


	9. Red

The carriage was moving fast, storming through the roads to get back to the third prince's estate. Inside the carriage there was a deadly silence.

"We have arrived, your highness." a servant spoke when the transport stopped, Jin jumping out of it. Jia followed, using Taeha's hand as a support to land her two feet on the ground. The young maid's eyes were red and slightly swollen, enough for Jia to know that the maid cried on the way back.

"Yoongi, summon a doctor for me." Jin spoke to the bodyguard who nodded firmly, disappearing from the group like the wind.

"I'm alright." Jia muttered, feeling slightly awkward with everyone's panic.

"Young miss, how can you be alright?" Taeha asked, her voice quivering.

Jia smiled lightly, not even trying to tell the poor maid she was really okay, following Jin through the gate. It was only after they made at least fifty steps did she realize they were going to her courtyard, the tall trees bearing colored leaves, some dancing down to the ground with the wind as their music.

"Minji, can you prepare me some cold water? As cold as possible." Jia asked once they entered her bedroom, Jin making himself comfortable by sitting on an armchair. The doe eyed maid nodded her head and quickly went to prepare what her misstress asked.

"Come." Jin spoke, Jia strutting her way to stand in front of him. She was surprised when he suddenly pulled her closer with one hand by pushing on her lower back, the other hand untying the belt hugging her waist easily.

Taeha and Inha were shocked, quickly diverting their eyes while Taeha's cheeks turned red in shyness, eyelids closing. Jia quickly used pressure on her hand, stopping Jin's.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her voice serious.

She wasn't stupid. Jia never thought that the third prince was worried about her, would suddenly fall in love with her for her courage and wanted to have skinship. Come on, this wasn't some idol drama!

Jin ignored her and used more strength to get rid of the belt but Jia once again fought back, their hands fumbling around her slim waist.

The third prince got tired from Jia's counter attacks and used his other hand to hold her two wrists. He didn't expect for her to suddenly raise one of her legs high in the air only to bring it down, disconnecting his fingers that were pulling on the knots. 

"If you want something, then speak. Who knows what you're planning to do with me?" she hissed, not even pretending to be nice anymore.

"Let me see." Jin responded, his eyes fixed on her waist.

If other people saw this, they would think that he wanted her to serve him in bed! But Jia was different, she instantly knew what he meant, pulled out one hand of his loosened grip on her wrists and pulled out the ring that was hidden in her waist belt.

"The tea was poisoned." she commented while throwing the ring to him, the young man easily catching the flying jewel.

"Miss, I've brought cold water." Minji spoke when she stepped inside the room again, discovering the pink cheeks on the other maids. Confused yet not that interested, she placed a baskin with cold water on the table next to the couple.

"I drank the tea, I'm alright." his frosty voice spoke.

"Guess someone is not liking me that very much, huh." Jia snorted, the sarcasm coating her voice while she dipped her fingers in the cold water, liking the low temperature. Slowly she walked behind a divider that was painted with multiple butterflies flying through flowers, throwing the most outer layer of her outfit over the wooden frame.

Raising her dress, she studied her legs, some pieces of skin showing a reddish color.

_'Though I moved my legs in time, some hot water still plashed on my body.' _Jia sighed mentally, the pieces of red skin feeling sensitive.

"Can someone bring the water for me?" she asked from behind the divider, the young man suddenly appearing behind her. Swallowing the shriek that almost escaped she looked at him with baffled eyes.

"You got hurt?" he asked, not showing anything close to the fake worry he showed in the palace.

"Just a little, first grade burn, nothing bad." Jia answered, dipped her hand in the water before quickly bringing it to her red spots, the cold water easing the sensitive skin. Jin saw her indifferent manner with him here seeing her bottom body, the young woman not even shooing him away.

"Your highness, miss, a doctor has arrived." Inha spoke lightly, the third prince giving a knowing hum.

An old man stood in front of the divider, his eyes cast on the floor as he had no courage to look up, afraid to make the first wife uneasy and the third prince angry. It wasn't normal to see a woman's body parts like this after all in this place.

"She got burned with hot tea." Jin spoke from behind the divider, a hand holding up the fabric of Jia's dress while she used both hands to calm down the red skin.

"They're first grade burns. Little bit red, no blisters or wounds." Jia added nochalantly.

The doctor was astonished with how indifferent Jia was with getting burned. She was a woman after all. Didn't all women consider their own body as a treasure and detested scars and pains?

"Then I will prescribe an ointment for you that can cool down the skin and ease the red burns. They will be sensitive for a few days so it is best not to touch them too much." the doctor said, his voice slow and low.

"Sure sure." Jia hummed and took back her skirt to let it fall over her legs again. Jin's eyes were casted on her covered legs before retreating and fixing his eyes on the ring in his hands.

The third prince was observing everything around him, it was a habit that was hard to unlearn so he had noticed Jia clumsily spilling some tea because of the hot cup. The ring coloring black on some parts wasn't something easy to escape his eagle eyes.

He was planning to let a palace maid replace the tea with the excuse that his first wife didn't like hibiscus tea after having allergic reactions. If she died now, another woman would replace her anyways. Who knew that this young woman was faster than him, slipping the pretty ring easily to hide them swiftly in her waist belt while pretending to find the cup hot right above her body to fake the fall?

Even though he didn't like having this woman living in his estate while using the title of being his first wife and official princess consort, he had to praise her silently for her quick thinking and great acting. Jin couldn't help but act a bit more excited than before.

"Minji, take the presription to the pharmacy to get the ointment." Jin told the doe eyed maid and walked away from the bedroom after giving Jia a simple nod. Jia raised an eyebrow as she watched his retreating back before letting Taeha see out the confused doctor.

"Inha, help me get out of these clothes, they're too uncomfortable and my head feels heavy as well." Jia said while walking towards her bed with her dress pulled up with two hands.

"Yes, miss." Inha responded, followed her and helped each layer off. The feline eyed maid dropped the clothes in a wooden basket, specific for dirty clothes.

"Miss, do you want me to get some more cold water for you?" she asked worried, having noticed the red patches of skin on her legs while helping her undress.

"I'm alright, thanks for worrying about me." Jia smiled, her eyes clear and her pink lips curled up in a wide smile.

Inha felt herself growing quiet when she saw the genuine smile on her misstress' face. Feeling warm and appreciated, Inha smiled back, gently helping her dress in a more comfortable dress.

"I'll help miss style the hair differently." Inha spoke softly after leading Jia to the dressing table. Her fingers carefully pulled out the hair accessoiries before taking a silver comb that was encrusted with a few gemstones.

Swiftly the long locks were combed and pulled into a half bun, secured in place with two hairpins.

"Aah, much better!" Jia grinned happily, liking her hair more down. Inha smiled lightly while placing the rings and bracelets that were taken off in their respective jewelry boxes.

"Let's have dinner earlier today, I barely ate enough today." Jia said while looking at Inha who nodded in agreement.

"Miss, when I came back from the pharmacy, his highness told me to tell miss that he will be having dinner in Azure Cloud Residence." Minji suddenly spoke, her eyes looking innocent even though they were shining in playfullness.

The maid had just returned and her words already made Jia feel like someone was throwing stones at her head. Taeha chuckled softly while pouring a cup with green tea to let her mistress fill her stomach a bit while the food was getting cooked.

"Prepare enough bowls and chopsticks then." the young woman sighed heavily while crawling on her bed and letting herself lean against one of the bedposts, a pillow behind her back to support her tired body. Because there wasn't anyone else, she pulled the dress up to reveal her long legs, liking that her sensitive skin wasn't sticking to the fabric.

"Ahem."

Jia snapped her head to the doors and saw Jin walking in her bedchamber leisurely.

_'This guy! My bedroom isn't a public square! Why is he always entering my room?' _Jia complained annoyed, letting the annoyance show in her eyes. Jin saw this but ignored it and walked towards her, Jia feeling slightly worried that he might try to kill her again.

He suddenly stopped right in front of the bed and dropped himself to sit down on the soft bedding, his hand taking the pot with ointment. The third prince eyed Jia's bare legs, opened the little pot with ointment and dipped two fingers in the mixture.

Jia observed him the entire time, knowing that he was planning to spread the cooling ointment on her legs.

"I can do it myself." she quickly spoke but Jin ignored her words and touched a patch of reddish skin, the cooling ointment instantly giving off a cold and comfortable feeling on her warm skin.

If she didn't grow up with so many people from the opposite gender for so many years, she would feel very uncomfortable with Jin putting on the ointment on her legs. Sure she was a modern woman but that didn't meant that any man could touch her legs freely.

"Your highness?"

"Hmm?" Jin hummed in question, never letting his gaze change as he almost gently spread the cooling ointment on Jia's lower limbs.

The young woman wasn't used to have this man being gentle like this. Ever since what happend during the wedding night she could agree on having a traumatic experience that she will never forget.

"You won't be asking for a reward, right?" Jia asked, feeling slightly uneasy. They had always been bargaining and exchanging favors for each other so the young woman was convinced that the third prince would ask something from her after helping her.

Jin's hand stopped, hanging awkwardly in the air while his ears turned red. He quickly pushed down the numerous thoughts going in his head and forced himself to not show any emotion on his face, neither in his eyes.

Retreating that hanging hand, he took out a handkerchief to wipe them clean before putting the lid back on the little pot of ointment.

"This is my reward to you." he answered, Jia's left eyebrow raising in a beautiful arch.

"Excuse me?"

_'What is he talking about? My reward?'_

"For not dying." he added flatly. Jia could swear she felt a vein pop in anger from hearing his cold and emotionless words.

_'I got this treatment because I didn't get poisoned?! I should poison you, bastard!'_ Jia felt the anger inside her boiling, her hands quickly pulling down her dress.

"How was your visit to the palace?"

_'Awful!'_

"Hard to define." she answered while cursing this young man sitting on the side of her bed, not even planning to stand up and leave.

"Really?" Jin asked, still feeling suspicious of her.

_'Who send you, woman? You're not going to tell me?!'_

"Think whatever you want." Jia huffed before letting her eyes land on Taeha.

"Taeha, where is the food?! I'm starving!" 

Jia's loud voice surprised the young maid, her cheeks blushing a crimson red as she rushed to the kitchen to ask how the food proces was. Inha and Minji looked at each other before letting their pretty eyes land on the wooden floor, counting the squares on the carpet.

Dinner was quiet, aside from eating utensils moving and the chewing there wasn't much talking. Jin silently ate the food on the table while Jia pushed away all the ettiquette and stuffed her mouth with delicious meat and crunchy veggies. The third prince observed her eating behaviour, nodding once in his head.

_'This is how she should eat, at the imperial palace it was too unlike the real her.' _Jin remarked in his head while biting into a piece of chicken meat.

_'If I wasn't living under your roof, eating your food and trying to save my own ass, I wouldn't even want to breath the same air as you!'_

After moving around in her bed for a long time, Jia finally felt her eyelids getting heavier and her body feeling exhausted. Except for the moonlight shining in the bed chamber through the window, there wasn't any light, giving Azure Cloud Residence a serene and celestial kind of feeling.

Who had thought that there were two people dressed in black as dark as the night? Moving swiftly, one of them took care of the front bechambers door while the other slipped inside the room, his eyes already adjusted to the darkness and easily finding the sleeping woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story, hopefully you guys enjoyed chapter 9!  
Please leave behind some comments, would love to read your thoughts, opinions and questions. I'll answer them (unless you're asking for spoilers) ^^  
Look forward for more!!


	10. Kidnapping

The Moonlight lit the bedchamber of Azure Cloud Residence as a dark figure moved around the room, turning his head left and right before laying his eyes on the sleeping woman. Through the half transparant bed curtains that pair of eyes were fixed on her curled up body.

Even if that barriere was there, the man who was clad in black could tell that the woman was beautiful, giving a jolt in his heart while he tiptoed closer to the bed. A hand was holding a handkerchief and like the wind, the fabric was pressed against her face, Jia's eyes snapping open from the sudden lack of oxygen.

Brown orbs were glaring at the man who was trying to put her to sleep, her muscles feeling weak and limbs heavy.

_'Who dares to barge into my bedroom?! This isn't ether, what is this...? Argh... Weak...'_ Jia wanted to loudly curse the person holding the handkerchief in front of her nose and mouth but the liquid that was infused in the handkerchief made her head dizzy and her entire body weak.

Even if she wanted to fight, she had to use a lot of strength and this body wasn't as strong as her real one. Slowly dark spots flickered in front of the young woman's eyes, growing bigger till entire darkness surrounded her, Jia's body falling limp in unconciousness. 

The dark figure scooped her body up to hold her in his muscled arms, quickly making his way out of the room. The other man saw this and quickly darted his eyes around before quietly following the other who was slightly struggling to move with the limp body of Jia.

"Quite the beauty, isn't she?" the man holding Jia commented as his eyes started to get hazy.

"Be quiet." the other warned as the two figures disappeared in the dark night.

The two men had no idea that they were being followed by no one other than Yoongi, Jin's personal bodyguard. The poor guy was keeping an eye on Jia, ready to go back to his own bedroom after making sure the woman was sleeping but suddenly he had noticed two strangers in the estate.

Following them closely with his hawk like eyes, he was taken aback when he saw one of them holding an unconscious Jia. The guard didn't hesitate one bit as he silently tracked behind the two kidnappers.

_'Heavy.'_

Jia's body felt like she was wrapped with iron chains and boulders to make her sink in the deep ocean. Even moving her arms were a great challenge, so with just a few movements of her fingers she gave up in exhaustion. Her eyelids were just as heavy, refusing to open as usually which made Jia give up and let her surround herself with darkness again.

After a few hours Jia once again awoke, her eyes slowly opening to meet with a blurry vision. Her head felt dizzy but her body less heavy than the first time she woke up. Slowly moving her limbs, she tried to blink her eyes enough to sharpen her view again, those pair of beautiful brown orbs scanning the room she was held hostage in.

A shabby wooden house.

_'I smell fresh grass, trees... Is this in the forest?'_

Jia was used to be blindfolded by her grand uncles and uncles to polish her different senses, to make them stronger and give her more concentration skills. She never thought that it would come in use in this place even though the body wasn't hers, it felt like her own pair of ears.

A cold breeze made Jia tremble, a shudder going down her spine as she heard the wind knocking on the windows and through the holes of the wooden house.

"The woman is awake." a voice sounded, Jia's eyebrows arching up as her eyes were glued on a man dressed in black clothes, some hairs of his beard sticking out the face mask that covered part of his face. A jumble of different noises like the sound of chairs moving over the wooden floor and the rustling of robes and heavy footsteps filled the shabby place.

Two men stood in front of the young woman, Jia not even the slightest bit scared to look them into the eyes.

"Who are you two?" she asked, her voice much calmer than the two had thought. These two strangers hadn't imagined that this woman would not be scared at all.

"What is it to you to know who we are?" one of the two, the taller one, asked.

"It's your bad luck that you met us." the other one that had half of his beard stucking out his facecover chuckled amused, his eyes already traveling to indecent places.

"I should at least know who is planning to make me suffer, is it not?" Jia asked with a raised eyebrow, her body relaxed and her facial expression cold.

"Do you have so many people that dislike you that you don't even know it?" the tall one asked with a shrug of his shoulders before bending down to be at the same eye level as the woman who was tied with ropes to refrain her from running away.

_'Dislike me? I'm here not even for that long yet! Jin...? No, he wouldnt step so low to have others take care of me, he would finish me himself.'_ Jia was wondering in her head just who could be the one to send these men.

"Don't worry, we will take good care of you." the tall guy chuckled, his fingers carressing Jia's left cheek so gently it didn't seem like he had kidnapped her.

"Take your filthy paws off of me." Jia growled with a low voice, her eyes glaring intensly at the man who narrowed his eyes, his fingers pinching her cheek painfully. Even though a pain jolted through her cheeck, Jia didn't wince at all, not in the slightest affected by the little pain. It's not like she didn't had worse in her past life.

_'Want to mess with me? You're a thousand years too early!'_

"I don't like this attitude of yours!" one of them growled, making Jia roll her eyes. Though she looked calm, her hands had been busy with trying to undo the ropes, trying to escape from those awful knots.

"Then leave me alone!" Jia growled back, looking away and refusing to look the two men in the eyes.

"You sure are nuts in your head, aren't you? You don't know what's going on? You're taken away from your safe place and will experience things you never thought you would." the bearded one said darkly, Jia noticing that he was having a hard time to keep himself well composed, his eyes turning hazy from lust.

_'Disgusting.'_

While Jia was cussing the two men in her head, Yoongi was standing outside the shabby place, his eyes in full concentration as he looked around. He had been standing there for quite some hours already, the sky almost turning bright already. The cold win made him shiver slightly, his ears focusing on the sounds inside.

The handsome guard heard everything that was said, mentally praising his highness' wife for not crying and screaming to let her go, it was like she didn't even mind being kidnapped at all! Even though he didn't understand what was going through Jia's head, he stood ready to help her if things would get out of hand.

_'Undone!'_ Jia cheered in her head, her face showing no emotion as she looked at the two men in front of her.

"We should enjoy her, no?" the beared guy asked his friend while the tall one nodded his head.

"Of course. That person told us we could do what we wanted but had to keep her life, isn't it? he snickered, grabbing Jia's chin painfully. The young woman glared silently while ignoring the pain in her chin. Before she could react, the bearded man had already ripped off one sleeve, the fabric tearing like it was mere paper.

The cold made Jia's body tremble, the men in the shabby space getting more excited to enjoy this little feast. Jia's snow white skin made the bearded man lick his lips, not waiting to tear the other sleeve as well.

No scream, no attempt to escape was shown by Lee Jia. Yes, she was Lee Jia! The granddaughter of Lee Taemin and Jang Misun! The daughter of Lee Suji and Kim Jongin! This couldn't even be compared to half of her life experience.

Those dirty hands of the bearded man touched her soft skin before he grabbed her upper arms tightly.

"What, so scared that you can't even utter a sound? Don't worry, we'll let you experience something amazing." the tall one grinned, pulling on her sleeping dress, the bottom part tearing and revealing her beautiful legs. The tall one grabbed her left leg and carressed the soft skin on his rough hands, his body yearning to taste something fresh.

"I wonder how you react when you're serving that third prince." the bearded man chuckled, Jia feeling utterly disgusted by these two creeps.

"How dare you two compare yourselves to him?" Jia laughed in contempt, shaking her head. A slap hit her face harshly, making her head fly to the side.

_'Seriously, can't they do something else than slapping people in this place?!' _Jia felt the anger in her body boiling furiously.

"Let's see if we can tame this mouth of yours, you'll be begging!" the bearded man hissed, pushing her ripped dress up to reveal her thighs. Just as he was about to get dangerously close to forbidden places, Jia gathered all her strength in her leg and kicked the bearded man away. It looked graceful yet the hit was hard enough to make him fall painfully on the ground with a loud thud.

The tall guy narrowed his eyes and was about to teach her a lesson when Jia suddenly jumped up, her hands free from ropes. His eyes widened as he wondered just how a weak girl could untie those difficult knots!

"I warned you. Who gave you permission to touch me like you want?" Jia asked, her voice dominant and strong.

"You bitch!" the bearded guy growled furiously, a fist going for her stomach but Jia quickly placed her two hands in front of her body to grab his flying fist and twist it while her right leg swiped under his bottom limbs, making him fall once again.

The tall one didn't expect this woman to be skilled in martial arts. That person didn't tell them that she was strong and could fight!

"Are you seeking death?!" the tall guy hissed, wanting to hit her yet Jia twirled her body to the side so that the fist that was trying to hit her only touched air. Knee up and foot out, she kicked the man in his back.

Suddenly the door was teared down by Yoongi who ran inside, preparing himself to get rid of the two men but he couldn't even interrupt Jia who punched the tall guy with a strong fist in the face, a knee hitting his stomach and a kick in his scrotch.

Yoongi swallowed when he imagined the pain inflicted by Jia. Not giving the bearded man a chance to stand up, Jia stepped down on his chest, pushing out the oxygen from his lungs, the man coughing and trying to breath.

"Spill it, who ordered you two?" Jia asked, already having a hunch who it could be but she wanted to confirm her suspicions and she also wanted to hear it herself.

"You crazy woman!" the tall one hissed loudly but Yoongi coldly unsheated his sword and pointed it towards his neck, the guard's eyes threatening him silently. The one being stepped tried to get rid of Jia's foot stepping on his body, feeling his pride disappearing completely!

But it wasn't that easy at all, Jia pressing her weight down even more, drawing out a pained hiss.

"Next time you should choose your victim more wisely yet I doubt there will be a next time." she spoke after glancing at Yoongi.

"Bitch!" the bearded guy growled which made Jia scoff and use even more strength in her leg while bending down to get slightly closer to him. Those beautiful lips curled up in an echanting smile. Jia might only be wearing her sleeping outfit, already ripped into pieces, yet the confidence and the strength in her eyes were nowhere decreasing!

Like a female demoness she smiled dangerously a the man on the ground.

"Yoongi, do you have a dagger?" Jia suddenly asked, her eyes slowly lifting after turning her head towards the handsome guard. He nodded with a slight hesitation, taking out a simple dagger from his belt.

"Throw it to me." she said.

Yoongi could only obey her for now, this wasnt' a situation to do otherwise. With a flip of his wrist, he threw it high in the air so that it was safe to catch for her but he saw her expertly catching the knife by the handel of it.

"Wh-what are you pla-planing to d-do?!" the bearded man asked with wide eyes, his body covered in cold sweat.

"I'm not an evil person, so if you would just tell me who ordered you two to kidnap me, you'll leave this place alive. Who knew that his highness' personal guard is even here? He's not that merciful like me." Jia said slowly, her voice so casual that it was like she was simply chatting with a cup of tea.

Yoongi kept quiet, holding his posture with the sword pointed at the tall kidnapper, giving him no chance to move or do something funny.

"Y-you dare!" the bearded man stammered, Jia's lips curving into a dazzingly smirk.

"Oooh, I really do. I can torment you without having to kill you." she chuckled amused.

_'This person won't even be able to tell that I'm boasting. Isn't it to show confidence that can make others think twice about their actions?'_

It mostly worked in her past life!

"I'll kill you!" he growled furiously, wanting to stand up but Jia moved her foot and placed it harshly on his scrotch, drawing out a pained scream. Expresionless, she placed the sharp dagger at his neck, the sharp blade cutting the skin, crimson drops of blood dripping down.

"I don't know why you are so stupid. Isn't it just that they gave you money? What did they promise you more to force you endure this pain, torment and embarassing situation?" Jia asked while slapping the flat side of the dager on his cheek.

The bearded man's eyes darted around, his heart speeding up in fear.

"T-they'll kill me if I tell!" he tried to defend himself, the tall guy quickly nodding in agreement.

"Then why is it so hard to decide? You either get killed by them or by him." Jia looked at the silent Yoongi.

"S-spare us!" the tall one begged.

_'Smarter than beardy dude huh!'_

"Just tell me and you'll only have physicial pain." Jia promised.

"I...it's your...family."

Yoongi wasn't too surprised to hear this but he still felt that it was weird to have her own family want to hurt her and make her unable to raise her head high up outside.

"Will you still do dirty work like this?" Jia asked, her eyes piercing through the bearded man. He quickly shook his head and sighed in relief when jia removed her foot, placing it back on the dirty floor.

"Yoongi, can you fix two corpses with physical resemblances to these two men?" 

Yoongi arched up an eyebrow but nodded his head. He had of course his own ways.

The tall kidnapper felt his heart jolt in fear when he heard the word corpses. Was she going to take back her words to let them go?!

"Mutilate the corpses so that they can't be recognized and throw them in front of the Tang's estate."

"Understood." Yoongi nodded his head once.

_'Who do they think they are?! Just how did they treat this poor girl?! If it wasnt me in this body wouldn't she be forced upon, losing her dignity, her pride and her will to live?!'_

"Let me never hear anything of you two or ever see you two again. Try to do things like you tried tonight again and I'll find you to the end of the world to personally get rid of you two." Jia said, her eyes suddenly getting darker, her voice so threatening that it almost hurt to hear her words, no one daring to look into her serious eyes.

Sure she was very strong only a few moments ago but this kind of her wasn't seen before!

So scary!

So strong!

Just who is she?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 10!  
Please don't be silent readers and leave a comment, thank you!  
Look forward for more ~


	11. Bathing

A shiver went down Jia's back when she left the shabby place, the cold morning breeze forcing her body to tremble and shudder. Next to her walked the personal guard of Jin. He didn't know that she would be in such a sorry state, her silken sleepy dress ripped into pieces, only half of her body being covered. Even more, he couldn't look at her, his eyes cast down.

"Miss... Do you want me to buy you a set of new clothes first before we go back to the estate?" Yoongi finally asked, Jia shaking her head after being lost in thoughts for quite a while.

"Just give me your outer robe." she yawned, feeling extremely tired.

Yoongi's beautiful eyes widened slightly, surprised that Jia would ask this of him. He forced himself to look in front of him while taking off his black outer robe. Jia gratefully took the piece of clothing and slipped her arms through the wide sleeves, pulled the fabric together so that she could keep the warmth near her body.

"Miss, shouldn't we take care of those two?" Yoongi asked to be sure.

"No. Let's just go back to the estate. I don't want to think of what happend today, have you heard me?" Jia said, her voice coated in seriousness which made Yoongi feel obligated to agree with her.

He wasn't just anyone, he was no one else but third prince Jin's personal guard! He wasn't easily swayed, neither easily controlled, scared or used. Yet... Jia's dominating aura silently asked him to listen to her words.

"Understood, miss." 

Jia nodded satisfied and kept her lips sealed together the whole way back to the estate. When they passed the front gates, Taeha ran towards Jia in complete panick, her eyes filled with tears and her cheeks pale white.

"Young miss! What happend to you?! I couldn't find you anywhere." she sobbed loudly while Minji and Inha sighed in relief. Yet Inha's feline eyes widened when she saw the way her misstress was dressed, a black robe of a man covering her body while her legs were exposed and her hair dishelved.

"Miss, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Minji asked, having noticed it as well.

The young woman nodded her head and was about to walk towards her courtyard when Jin appeared uot of nowhere. His steps weren't slow, neither were they fast. Composed and strong, he neared Jia, his eyes scanning her appearance before he grumbled.

"Prepare a hot bath at my residence for her." he spoke, the three maids hurrying off to prepare the necessary things while Jia looked at Jin with a puzzled expression.

"Your highness? Why should I go to your place to bathe?"

"Yoongi, go wait in my bookroom."

The bodyguard nodded his head curtly before striding away and leaving the married couple alone.

"Your highness." Jia called for the third prince again.

"You're dirty. Go wash yourself." he simply spoke and walked away, leaving Jia to follow behind him. When they arrived in the bathroom, Jin send everyone away, not one maid could stay which made Jia feel even more confused.

The hot steam was rising in the room, damp and sticky. Jin's eyes were glued on the black robe and with one motion he had pulled it from her body, throwing it on the ground. Because the bathroom was warm enough from the hot water, Jia didn't feel cold in her ripped dress.

The third prince could see the red spots of the water burning her skin but along with them he discovered a few bruises on her legs.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked, lifting his eyes away from her bruised legs. Jia shook her head, feeling awkward while standing like this in front of her husband in name.

"Get rid of the filthy dirt on your body." he said coldly and left the bathroom again.

_'Stupid prince! It's not like I wanted to become dirty.' _Jia grumbled in her head while stripping herself in fury, stepping inside the large bath tube, rose petals floating on the surface.

Yoongi looked at the carpet before rising his head slowly, looking at the third prince and his friend.

"What happend?" Jin asked seated in his armchair while his hands were folded together, patiently waiting for the guard to explain the situation and report everything to him.

"As your highness asked me, I have been keeping an eye on miss Jia. When she fell asleep, I was about to leave her courtyard when I saw two suspicious men. Because miss Jia disliked having guards standing around her residence, there was no one to stop those two." he said, scratching his head slightly before continuing.

"They used some kind of anesthetic, miss Jia fainted and was brought deep into the woods. I was close to the wooden house they used as secret place but I haven't... helped her from the beginning." Yoongi explained, feeling embarassed that he didn't help her earlier.

Even though the handsome guard knew that she wasn't easily trusted it was still wrong to not help a woman in troubles. Jin simply hummed, shifting on his armchair while looking deeply into the eyes of his longtime friend.

"Yoongi, did she really not get hurt?"

Yoongi was surprised to find Jin completely different from before. Those pair of brown orbs were filled with worry and anger, his body stiff from feeling uncertain and unsure, something that doesn't easily happens in the life of the general prince!

"Those two men were ordered to do whatever they wanted to her, they only had to make sure miss Jia would continue to live...with whatever happend."

"Making her live in agony instead of just killing her." Jin wondered out loud, Yoongi nodding in confirmation.

"When I noticed that something was wrong with the ripping of clothing and touchy hands of those men, I was about to barge inside when I heard those men scream in pain. I don't know how she did it, but she seriously did injure those kidnappers."

A small smile appeared on Jin's lips, those plump lips curling up in a satisfied grin. Yoongi held his surprise for himself once again, knowing that this person wouldn't smile to anyone. He was one of the very few people who actually saw him smile genuinly like this.

"Tang Jia... Just what kind of surprises are you going to show me next time?" he chuckled amused before relaxing his body, the worry that was seen in his eyes having completely disappeared.

Yet now that the worry disappeared, the third prince was starting to think about Tang Jia. Just what kind of person is she?

Jia felt her body relaxing in the hot water, enjoying the fragrance lingering in the bathroom air because of the rose petals. Her long arms dipped into the water till only her head was above the surface. Long strands of black hair floated around, intertwining together with the flower petals.

"My body hurts... Looks like I really need to polish this body better." Jia muttered, missing her real body. Surely she trained a lot but she forgot about the issues of easily getting stiff and her muscles hurting.

While she was enjoying the water she suddenly felt another presence in the bathroom, her eyes narrowing while staying submerged in the water, her head staring at one particular flower petal. From behind nothing looked different from before but the young woman already prepared herself to counter attack.

When she felt that the presence was just behind her, she prepared herself to punch the person who was tiptoeing around. Who knew that when she barely stood up, a strong hand pushed on her shoulder to force her back into the water?!

Jia turned her head to find Jin standing behind her.

"Hey! You creep, why are you in here?!" Jia hissed, quickly hiding her body in the soapy water, flower petals covering most of the surface.

_'Because of the soap and flower scent, I didn't smell that sandalwood scent of his...'_

The third prince arched up an eyebrow as he took a few steps to sit on the edge of the bathtub, sitting just next to Jia.

"Pay attention to your words, how can you call your own husband a creep?" he scolded the young woman with a frown, completely dissatisfied with the way she treated him.

"Who told you to come inside then?!" Jia grumbled, her arms covering her chest part even though the flower petals covered the water surface.

"This is still _my_ bathroom." Jin sighed heavily, shaking his head lightly.

"Never heard of privacy?" Jia retorted, moving her body slightly so that Jin could only see her back. Yet this was something that made Jin's eyebrows knit together while his lips tightly pressed together in one fine line.

_'What is this woman doing. Enticing me?!'_

"Yoongi told me everything that happend. It's good that you were alright." Jin sighed once again and tried to keep his calm with Jia's bare shoulders in front of him, her beautiful hair floating in front of her body. Jia just hummed, wanting him to quickly leave so that she could get out of the bathtub. 

"I'll be going to Ro He the day after tomorrow." Jin spoke casually, losing half of the coldness he usually has.

"Ro He...?" Jia asked, having no clue what that was.

_'I really should read more to at least know what people are talking about!'_

"For business." Jin clarified, worried that this wife of his would think otherwise but different than what he expected, Jia simply nodded. No tantrum, no argument about him leaving her in the cold.

"You'll have to stay home." Jin added, earning another nod from the young woman. Arching up an eyebrow he grumbled something incoherent for Jia, making her turn her head and look at the young man with a questioning expression.

"Because Ro He is at the borders, I won't be able to take you with me. Will you be...alright alone?" he asked hesitantly.

_'Aah...? Is he worried about me?'_ Jia wondered when she felt the awkwardness in Jin's words.

_'Why is this woman so indifferent?' _Jin grumbled in his head.

"Have a safe trip." Jia spoke, making jin's frown disappear.

"Will you be alright?" he pressed.

"You said Yoongi told you everything that happend already? What are you worrying for?"

"Yoongi is coming with me, there will be only you, the female head of this estate." Jin said, looking intensly at her, trying to get something out from her but she just nodded once again. The third prince suddenly dipped his hands in the water and forcefully turned Jia towards him, the young woman looking wide eyed at him, not having thought that he would this. Pressing her arms closer to her chest, she glared at the prince.

"If I come back safely, you'll have to reward me." he suddenly said, his voice even hinted with playfullness. Jia looked with astonishment at the third prince, feeling weird to find him this way.

_'Could it be that he's not that hard to befriend at all...?'_

"What is it? You want a another kiss?" Jia snorted, one arm coming out of the water to grab his colar and pulling him closer to her to his surprise. The young man didn't know if it was because of the hot damp but he felt very hot, his ears burning and his throat feeling dry.

_'Trying to seduce me?' _Jin scoffed silently while looking into her pair of brown orbs.

He neared her face slowly, Jia not planning to back off in this game of dominance. When the two pairs of lips almost touched, Jin stopped, gulping. Jia smirked before swiftly pecking Jin's lips before removing her face from him.

The third prince froze, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the tub. It took him awhile for him to get out of the trance he was put in, clearing his throat lightly, quickly adverting his eyes from Jia.

"I'm not talking about a kiss." Jin grumbled, quickly standing up.

"Whatever." Jia shrugged before submerging her body under the water with only her head above the surface. "Can you leave now? I want to get out."

Jin was about to say something but pressed his lips together again, exiting the bathroom. When he was out of sight and Jia was sure he wouldn't return, the young woman completely dived into the water while she screamed, bubles quickly forming around her. As the oxygen in her lungs decreased, she resurfaced and bit her bottom lip while wanting to smash her head against a pillar.

_'Just what was that?! Lee Jia! Why did you even peck that guy's lips?!' _

_'Even if he's goodlooking, you can't do that!'_

"Hateful." Jia grumbled under her breath while stepping out of the warm water and taking a prepared towel to wrap around her, another one to dry her hair.

_'Ro He... He said it's at the borders... He even mentioned if he's going to return safely... It can't be that something bad happend a the borders, right?' _Jia thought, slowly feeling worried. _'If he's gone how am I going to survive in this place?'_

Jin took a stroll around his residence, the scent of bamboo filling his nostrils while being lost in thoughts.

"Your highness." Yoongi spoke, pulling the third prince from his train of thoughts. He looked at the guard and waited for him to continue.

"Are you perhaps worrying about miss Jia? Inha and Minji will still be present to serve her well." the bodyguard commented.

"Tell them to keep an eye on her and what she does, who she meets and plans to do while I'm away. This is the best moment for a spy to take action. I can't believe that the emperor made me leave the capital city just to go to Ro He. He could have send someone else on this mission, why me?" 

Yoongi nodded his head before raising his head once again.

"Let's make the necessary preparations, your highness. I shall fix everything." he spoke and left the residence after getting a satisfied nod from the general prince.

"I'm going to kill that bitch!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the long wait!  
Hopefully you enjoye reading chappter 11 :D   
Please leave a comment, love tor ead them! ^^


	12. Unwanted Visitors

Only two days passed after the third prince left for Ro He. Because this place was at the borders of the country, he had to travel a long and tiring voyage. Since Jin left the estate, everything had been calm. Jia liked it a lot, having no pressure to keep protecting herself, afraid to lose her head.

The young woman passed her time with training as usual and even asked her maids to borrow some books from a library in the capital city. On the third day Jia was sitting leisurely on an armchair in her courtyard, a pavilion made of red wood and painted with golden decorations above her head.

"Young miss, the weather is getting colder. Would you like to have a coat?" Taeha asked, glancing at the tree branches dancing with the wind.

"It's alright. Go get my flute. I'm in the mood to practice." Jia smiled, feeling relaxed and carefree. Taeha quickly nodded her head and retreated to Jia's bedchamber to get the flute, leaving the other two maids to keep serving the young woman.

Minji looked at Jia subtly while Inha stepped forward to pour some tea in her mistress' half empty tea cup. When Taeha walked back, she carefully placed the painted box on the round table, Jia gently opening it and taking out her porcelain flute.

Carefully touching the cold porcelain, the young woman smiled, bringing it to her mouth, softly blowing into the mouth piece while her fingers travelled over the flute. A beautiful melody embarked, perfect for the weather.

The three maids listened to the unknown song while Jia tried to practice the flute more, finding no other hobbies to do in this place with no real technology that she was used to.

A horse stopped right in front of the gates of the third prince's estate, the gate guards bowing their heads in respect.

"We pay respect to his highness, fourth prince." they said in unison while Taehyung hopped off the tall black horse, his motions looking like he was dancing in the air.

"I am here to pay a visit." Taehyung spoke, fixing his silver colored robes while the guards hesitantly opened the gates.

A maid welcomed the fourth prince and told another one to warn Jia.

Taehyung heard the sound of a flute and turned his head towards the faint sound.

"Who is playing the flute?" he asked curiously. "Such a beautiful melody." he praised with a satisfied nod.

"Answering fourth prince, miss Jia has been practicing playing the flute these days." a maid answered while planning to bring him to sit in the main hall of the main building but he stopped her by raising his hand in the air.

"Bring me to her."

"Fourth prince, that-" the maid tried to change the young man's thoughts but he already strolled forward, forcing the maid to have no other option but lead him the way to Azure Cloud Residence.

Inha looked at a maid running towards them, completely out of breath.

"What are you doing, running around?" Inha scolded the maid softly but she quickly whispered something in her ears before looking at the feline eyed maid with an uneasy expression. Minji noticed this and glanced at her fellow maid with a silent questioning gaze.

"I've understood. You can go back." Inha told the young maid in a whisper, the young maid quickly nodding her head and retreating from the Azure Cloud Residence.

Jia knew of nothing, busying herself with playing a song she once learned with her grand uncle Jonghyun. Completely lost in playing the melody right, following the beat she was taught by her uncles, she didn't notice a young man entering her courtyard and staring at her playing the music instrument like an echanting witch.

Taehyung's eyes were glued on Jia, his ears taking in the beautiful song. Minji, Inha and Taeha quietly greeted him when he quickly placed his index finger in front of his lips, ordering them to not say a word because he wanted to continue listening.

The fourth prince didn't know that Jia already felt another presence and had seen him through the corners of her eyes. Yet she didn't plan to stop, her fingers continiously moving over the flute to bring out the music notes.

_'The fourth prince? What is he doing here? Why is he here when that guy is not even in his own house? Can't be that he's visiting me, right?'_

Jia smirked against the mouth piece, playing the flute over a half hour at least! All this time, Taehyung stood there, listening without moving an inch.

_'What is he, a statue?'_

After getting tired herself, she removed the flute from her lips and placed it gently in the box again while letting herself sit on a stone stool.

"I don't like people who silently look at me." she spoke coldly, Taehyun's eyebrows arching up slightly. After a few seconds of silence, he pressed his lips together and walked towards the pavilion, sitting across the young woman who sipped from her tea.

"Why has the fourth prince's arrival not been announced?" Jia asked, her eyes not removing from the tea cup in her hand. Because the young woman didn't look at him, the fourth prince felt uneasy, feeling disappointed even.

"I apologize, miss. Please punish me." Inha quickly spoke, kneeling on the ground while keeping her eyes on the stone floor of the pavillion.

Jia simply hummed.

"You shall help me in the evening then." Jia said vaguely, making the maid quickly thank her misstress for forgiving her. Inha wasn't stupid, she knew that Jia said this because she wanted to act different in front of the fourth prince.

But because the third prince told her and Minji to keep an eye on his wife, she was skeptical over this situation. Was Jia acting or was she really not planning to have any ties with the fourth prince?

"Jia, I told them to not to announce my arrival." Taehyung spoke up but Jia only glanced at him and sipped from her tea again. Only after Taeha poured the cup full again did she lift her eyes and look at the fourth prince.

Different from the third prince who was also a general, this fourth prince was much more prince like. His skin was smooth and white, his fingers slender and his hair styled in a pretty style.

_'This guy surely looks like those rich princes that fanfics write about!'_

"Why has the fourth prince come?" Jia asked, hiding her curiosity because she really wanted to know why this guy came but no one else needed to know her interest in this young man. Taehyung smiled lightly and looked at the woman in front of him.

She had changed in such a short time. Different from how she used to be, she was now sitting there with full confidence and pride.

"I came to visit older brother... Seems like he's not home?" 

"Could it be that fourth prince doesn't know?" 

Taehyung didn't like the fact that Jia didn't call him by his name but by his title, feeling a distance between them. A distance he didn't like.

"His highness is not available. Please return if you have no other business." Jia said coldly, looking away to find Inha looking at them through her hair bangs. She smiled lightly and closed the box of the flute, giving it to Taeha who held it carefully.

"Jia, we can chat for awhile is it not?" Taehyung asked, making the young woman raise an eyebrow.

"Are we close enough to chat like friends?" Jia asked, genuinly curious to what kind of relationship this fourth prince and the real Tang Jia had. The way he looked at her and the words he said that contained a meaning behind them were screaming that things weren't that simple at all!

The fourth prince's eyebrows knitted together in a beautiful frown.

"Are you perhaps still angry at me?"

"I do not understand fourth prince. Could you perhaps explain to me what I should be angry of?" the young woman asked, having no clue at all what happend. She didn't get the past memories of the person after transmigrating.

Taehyung glanced at the three maids, hesitating to speak.

"You don't have to look at my maids. They're serving me, so speak what you want to say or please leave." Jia said, her voice cold and flat.

"For not marrying you." Taehyung said after taking in a deep breath.

_'What? Is this dude really apologizing for dumping Tang Jia? Where was he when the poor girl was being maltreated and tortured in her own house?!'_

Jia felt angry. Even if the fourth prince was handsome and didn't look like a bad person, at least not that much... She didn't like the fact that he didn't help the original owner of her body.

They were after all engaged. What was the point of coming back now and talk about the past she didn't go through anyways?

"Fourth prince is joking. What are you talking about?" Jia said, smiling lightly. "For fourth prince to break our engagement... I will not find fault in it anymore because I am after all a married woman now."

Because Jia told him in the face that she married another man, it made his heart squeeze painfully together, his entire body tensing.

"I did not give up on you, Jia." Taehyung said, his voice breaking slightly which surprised the young woman.

_'Wait... Were they truely in love? Does this fourth prince actually love Tang Jia? Then why not marry each other?'_

"I am married to your older brother now." Jia said briskly, her eyes showing her seriousness to the young prince.

"I aplogize...for what I've done to you in the past, but I did not give up on you. Jia, I promise to take you back and make you my woman." Teahyung spoke, his eyes glimmering with confidence and enthousiasm.

But Jia was less enthousiastic!

"Fourth prince! Please refrain yourself from saying such words. I am not planning to leave my husband for another man. Is it that you want me, Tang Jia, to be a trivial woman?!" Jia asked, slapping the table while standing up, her eyes shooting fire at the man in front of her.

The fourth prince was shocked to see the woman he loves act like this, not knowing what to do. It was never his own choice and wish to see her hurt. He had confidence in the love they had for each other.

_'Did she change her heart? Does she not have space for me anymore? No... Older brother would never treat Jia right, she can't stay here for too long.'_

"Tang Jia. I know you are now not happy with me. But I was thinking of our future."

_'Heavens! Is he really using such a lame excuse?!' _Jia couldn't help but scoff in her head.

"I know it's a lame excuse of mine." taehyung said apologetic.

_'Does he know how to mindread?!'_

"I can say so much but it's nothing compared to the pain I might have inflicted on you. I truely apologize to you for everything that happend. But please do not push me away." Taehyung spoke, his eyes almost tearing up which made Jia's heart skip a beat.

_'What is this sorcery?! Those puppy eyes...!'_

"I would like it if you would not say such things in front of his highness." Jia said after clearing her throat twice, sure that if Jin would hear such words, he would try to get rid of her again and for now he can't do that! Otherwise she would have no other means to survive in a place she's not familiar with.

"Miss, there are visitors." Inha interrupted the two when a maid came to tell her that there were uninvited and unwanted guests waiting at the gates. Jia looked at the feline eyed maid before nodding her head once.

"Lead them to the main hall of my residence. Me and fourth prince will also move there." she said, much more calm on the outside than she was on the inside.

_'Gosh! Why is everyone appearing together when Jin is gone?!'_ Jia wanted to cry, feeling stuffy to have to entertain guests she didn't even want in her residence!

"Oh, it is second madam and my younger sisters?" Jia pretended to be surprised and looked at the three women strolling into the mainhall. The expression on the second madam's face turned ugly when she saw the fourth prince sitting on a chair, enjoying his cup of black tea.

"Your highness?" Yein, the first daughter of the second madam asked, not having expected to see his fiancee at his older sister's residence. Taehyung looked at her and gave a nod with a small smile which made the uneasiness Yein felt in her heart disappear like snow was for the sun.

"Second madam, Yein, Suan, sit." Jia smiled fakely and looked at Minji.

"Prepare the fresh plucked green tea from this year and steep them with some rose petals." Jia spoke, Minji quickly bowing her head to leave for the kitchen to prepare the tea.

"I see that you have another visitor?" the second madam spoke, bowing her head politely at the fourth prince who bowed his head back.

_'Like this you won't be able to bully me in the open anymore, how handy, isn't it?!' _Jia wanted to laugh out loud but decided to just keep the happeniss for herself.

"Lovely, isn't it?" Jia smiled, her voice coated with sarcasm. Suan looked at her half sister, envy written on her face as she saw the beautiful dress Jia was wearing, the outfit made with high quality silk, beautiful handiworks and pearls embroidered on the sleeves.

"I heard that something happend to you a few days ago? I hope you're alright." Yein spoke after getting her tea poured in a beige colored tea cup with painted bluebirds.

Jia arched up an eyebrow and looked at the second madam's first daughter.

"Thank you for worrying, everything is alright with me." Jia smiled.

"It is only normal for sisters to care and worry about each other, is it not?" Yein smiled, doing her best to be a virtious woman in front of her fiance. "But I heard that you were badly hurt?"

Lee Jia wanted to throw her tea cup in Yein's face but she harshly forced herself to keep her calm.

"Badly hurt?" Jia feigned confusion.

"You were kidnapped, was it not?" Suan interrupted, making Taehyung's eyes widen as he looked at Jia with worried eyes. Yein saw this, jealousy enrupting inside of her.

"Can you tell me who told you this?" Jia asked, tilting her head slightly to the side while looking directly into Suan's eyes. Those strong pair of brown orbs made Suan not able to answer, the second madam quickly coming in between to help her youngest daughter respond.

"You know that servants and maids like to chit chat and spread rumours." the second madam smiled casually, not giving it much thought and pushing all the fault to the servants and maids. Jia's eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown.

"Servants and maids? If this was any other place, I might really believe you... But this is no other place but his highness' third prince's estate. Are you saying that there are servants in this place that can't keep their mouths shut?!" Jia asked, raising her voice which made her three personal maids and the other servants in the main hall to drop to their knees.

The second madam couldn't save herself from humiliation while she glanced at the maids, kneeling and bowing their heads deeply.

_'This wench actually is being treated this good in this estate?!' _the mother felt annoyed in her heart.

"Jia, what happend to you?" Taehyung asked worriedly, demanding an answer but Jia ignored his existence completely as she glared into the second madam's eyes.

"Who dared to speak nonsense?!" Jia asked loudly, throwing the cup in her hand on the carpet, the tea staining the carpet on the floor.

"Answering miss, please believe in us. We do not dare to offend his highness and miss Jia!" Minji quickly spoke, her voice strong and confident, yet not overbearing, enough for a maid of her status to speak from.

"Answering miss, we are all people who serve his highness the third prince and princess consort! If we did tell lies about miss, then please punish us severely!" Inha followed behind Minji, her strong character surfacing.

The visitors looked at the situation in front of them, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

"Suan, from which servants did you hear it?" Taehyung asked the young girl, not planning to make it difficult for his own fiancee.

"I... I heard it while walking in my courtyard." the young girl lied. Of course there was no one talking about it because no one knew what actually happend! No one dared to imagine that it was her mother, older sister and her plan to humiliate Tang Jia!

"Please punish us!" Minji spoke loudly again, kowtowing her head on the hard floor. Taeha, Inha and the other servants followed her lead, kowtowing once on the hard floor, a loud thud echoing through the main hall of Azure Cloud Residence.

"Each servant in the estate is stripped off one month's salary!" Jia roared before pointing at a maid to let her clean up the shards of the tea cup that used to be in Jia's hand only a few minutes ago.

"Thanking princess consort's kindness!"

"I really wonder where you three heard of what happend and what you even heard." Jia scoffed, right in front of Yein's face, the younger one glaring intensly at the older woman.

"It is our mistake for listening to servant's words." the second madam quickly spoke, not wanting Jia to do something to her two daughters.

"It really is. Rumours can be very poisonous." Jia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose while relaxing in her armchair. "I fell ill a few days ago and have been resting in bed, only today did I go out of my bed chamber to take a stroll and enjoy the scenery. Because my health is not that well, I ask you all to leave." Jia said, squeezing her eyes together, faking a headache.

"Then we will leave, Jia. Rest well and let a doctor come to take your pulse." Taehyung said considerate, firing up the jealousy inside of Yein's heart. Jia simply nodded and didn't move anymore until she heard the maids crawling up, standing with straight backs to wait for an order.

"See the guests out."

"Yes." two maids walked towards the fourth prince and the second madam and her daughters. Before they stepped out of the main hall, Jia said something that made Yein's veins pop out in anger.

"Everything that is done will be repaid one day, idiot." Jia said loud enough for Yein, who walked out last, to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed reading it ~  
Please leave a comment ^^


	13. DELETING story on AO3

Hello everyone!

I would like to make an annoucement about deleting this story on this website.

I found out that someone plagiarized my work and put it on another platform and want to keep writing on Asianfanfics, where I have started this story since 2017 (unedited though) to have a better way in observing and making sure that any other copies or translations on other websites or not my username is NOT MY WORK.

Because of this, I have decided to delete Solitary Narcissus on Archive of Our Own and keep uploading on Asianfanfics.

It's a user-friendly platform for sharing fanfics as well and I have been writing stories on there since 2012, so if you would like to continue reading Solitary Narcissus or are interested in other (older and maybe way more cringy) stories, please had over there!

I will be deleting this story after a few days.

Thank you for all the support.

Goodbye!

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter of Solitary Narcissus!  
This story is actually a crossover or a spin-off of a story series I've made on another site.  
I'm planning to also bring those stories to AO3 so that people can enjoy it. If you want to be able to follow everything, then it's better to read the first two main stories, but if not, you won't be missing very big things.  
The character setting of the female lead is that she's a daughter and family member of a family of good (gangsters) in the modern world. She has a lot of family members (blood and not blood related).
> 
> If there are any quetions or thoughts, please do share them! Don't be silent readers, thank you.  
Look forward for more! :)


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